Call me Harley
by QuinnOfConeyIsland
Summary: When Harleen Quinzel comes to Arkham Asylum, she is thrown headfirst into her very first case and possibly her biggest challenge yet: treating the Joker. And it's all fun and games until she falls in love with her patient. Follow Harleen's decent into madness and her road to becoming Harley Quinn.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Yesterday, she had received the much anticipated letter. She had gotten the job as a psychiatrist at Arkham Asylum. Harleen couldn't be more thrilled. Although, when she told her father about it, he didn't exactly share her enthusiasm. "You know you could have easily gotten a job _anywhere_ with your intellect," he had told her. If he could, she knew he would have sent her to become a doctor or a lawyer.

"I want to help people," she had replied.

"Yes, but criminals? Of all people, those are the ones you choose?"

"The way I see it… they're the ones that need the most help." Her childhood friend Cassidy hadn't been on her side either. _Aren't friends supposed to support one another?_ Harleen, or Harley, as her friends and family called her, was upset about it to say the least. But she decided to get over it quickly. She was happy about the job and that was all that mattered.

Now she found herself standing outside the wooden door with the name "Dr. J. Arkham" on it and, taking a deep breath, she knocked three times. She heard a voice say "enter" and so she did. There he was, sitting behind his desk and he smiled at her when she walked in. "Harleen Quinzel, I presume?" he said. She returned the smile.

"Yes, Dr. Arkham. It's an honour to be here and to meet you finally." They shook hands and Arkham gestured for her to take a seat in the chair opposite to him. Once seated, he continued.

"I've heard some very promising things about you, Ms. Quinzel. I was very happy when I looked through your resume, yet surprised at the same time," he mused aloud and his face morphed into a somewhat confused, yet impressed expression. "Anyone with your high grades could have written her ticket anywhere," he explained. She gave a small smile and looked down. He made her think about what her father had said. "Why Arkham Asylum of all places?" he asked.

Harley looked up again and thought about it. Why did she want to work here? It was possibly the gloomiest and scariest place you could find in all of Gotham. Well, then that was the answer, wasn't it? While there were so many who wouldn't, she had actually _dared_ to come here. She smiled again. "Well, I'm always up for a challenge," she answered. _Are you sure you're challenging yourself, or is it your father?_ She hated herself for thinking that way. No, she wanted to be here. Not because she wanted to prove herself to her father, or anyone else for that matter. She _really_ wanted to be here. This was what she was destined to do. She just knew it.

"I'm glad to hear that," Dr. Arkham said with a small smile of his own, but then he turned dead serious. "You see…" He clasped his hands together and leaned his chin on them, thinking about how he would deliver the message. Harley was all ears. "One of our patients, well… We have yet to see him change. I've been thinking about giving up on him, but I figured maybe it was worth a shot. You know, hand the case to _you_. All of our expert doctors have made no progress with him. He refuses to speak to anyone. So I was hoping…" He paused and held his eyes locked with hers. "Perhaps you would be up for the challenge?"

So he wanted her to try and get someone to open up. Harley had no idea why he would think she'd be any different, if this patient actually refused to speak to any of the others, who were far more experienced than her. Either, Dr. Arkham must have _really_ cared about this patient, or just been very desperate.

"Who is this patient?" she asked. From the look on his face, Harley could tell that Dr. Arkham had figured she would ask. He leaned back in his chair and sighed.

"He goes by the Joker. I take it you've heard of him?" She couldn't help it that her heart skipped a beat at the mention of his name. Images of him from the newspapers flashed before her eyes. She had known before applying for the job that the Joker was here. But she had never dreamt of becoming his therapist. So Dr. Arkham was indeed desperate. _Does he actually believe the Joker can be sane again?_ she thought. But then she remembered what she had told her father. She wanted to help. That was the reason of her being here, sitting in Dr. Arkham's office.

"Yes," she finally said. "Yes, I have." He must have mistaken her silence for cowardice.

"Look, I completely understand if you don't want the case." Harley snapped out of her train of thought. She wasn't one to back out.

"No!" she said, a little too loudly. "I mean…" she lowered her voice. "No, I want to give it a go. If I can help him, then I want to do it. You can never know if you never even try." She attempted another smile. He returned it, somewhat half-heartedly.

"That's true," he agreed. "Well, then it's settled." He slammed his hands on the desk and rose to his feet. Harley followed suit and they shook hands once more. "A pleasure to have you with us, Dr. Quinzel."

* * *

 **A/N: Hopefully I'm not plunging into any deep waters here, but just to make sure I get everything right, I made the first chapter very short. Since there was no Harley in the Nolan films, that means I have a lot of freedom, but freedom is scary. I don't have anything to go on really except for the tone of Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy, so hopefully I will be able to match this up with that. Harley is also, might I add, my favourite comic book character, so I really want to do her justice! And since Brittany Murphy is a fan-favourite casting of Harley, (let's face it, she would have been great) I'm going to imagine that it's her when I write this, but you can go with anyone you'd like! I just thought maybe it would be easier for you all as readers to go through this story with a face (and voice) for our main character. You can expect a LOT of chapters, so it would be fun if you wanted to follow this story! :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Harley had been given the Joker's files to read up on that night at home. Not that there was a lot to read about. His previous doctors hadn't been able to do a full and proper analysis of him. Name: unknown. Approximate age: 26-30. Height: 6'2. _Huh, quite tall then._ Weight: 186 lbs. He was more or less a riddle to be solved. All the thoughts whirling around in her head kept her awake for a good while. But she finally managed to fall asleep sometime after midnight.

When she got up at seven in the morning, the first thing she did was hit the shower and put her clothes on. She chose a black skirt, not too long or too short, and a red buttoned up shirt to go with it. She settled for her mundane, black heels and her makeup consisted of just a little bit of mascara and eyeliner and some peach pink lip gloss. She put her blonde hair up in a high ponytail and put her glasses on as the finishing touch. She looked at herself in the mirror. _Not too bad._

She arrived at the asylum at 8:30. Her session with the Joker was scheduled for ten o'clock. Plenty of time to prepare. Once she stepped inside her small office, she noticed her new doctor's coat resting on the back of her chair. She picked it up and looked at it before putting it on. It was a perfect fit. She picked up her new staff ID lying on her desk and attached it to the white coat on the left side of her chest. She smiled to herself. Now she was officially part of the staff. It was her first day and she really looked forward to it. She was eager to meet the other doctors. She was sure her job required to work alongside her colleagues now and then. The sooner she got to know them, the better.

"Ah, I see you've found your coat." Harley turned around and saw Dr. Arkham leaning against the door frame.

"Yes, it's a perfect fit too. I finally feel part of the staff," she answered with a smile.

"I'm glad to hear. Speaking of which, in case you're interested, perhaps you'd like to meet some of your colleagues? I could show you around the place a bit more meticulously. You know, make sure you feel at home."

"Yes, I'd like that very much."

So she followed Dr. Arkham through the white corridors and dropped by at different places and offices. He showed her the infirmary where she met a few nurses. And she got to meet some other doctors, like Thomas Elliot, Hugo Strange and Joan Leland. Harley instantly took a liking to her. And if she wasn't wrong, it felt as if Joan felt the same way about her. They also stopped by the cafeteria where most of the inmates had their meals. The patients that were held at maximum security got their meals in their cells. There was after all a reason for them being held at maximum security. The Joker was one of those inmates.

"Thank you for showing me around," Harley said when they got back to her office. She looked down at her watch. It was now 9:30. She had half an hour to prepare for her session. She hadn't really thought about it before, but perhaps she should have come up with some good questions last night to bring with her? The thought instantly made her feel nervous. Or maybe it was better not to be prepared? When it came to the Joker, you could never really be prepared for anything.

"You all right there, Dr. Quinzel?" Harley looked up and met Dr. Arkham's worried face.

"What? Oh, um, yes, I just… I was wondering if maybe I should have thought up some questions to ask him." Dr. Arkham seemed to know who she was talking about.

"I think you're better off without them. You should just go in there and see what happens. But just make sure that you're always the one in charge. You call all the shots. Okay?" She nodded.

"Okay."

"And, uh, there's one more thing," he added. "We have set up two security cameras in the examination room where you will be having your session. Since it's your first time with him, us more… _experienced_ doctors are going to watch a livestream of it in the conference room. We want to see how he reacts. That all right with you?"

"Of course," was her immediate answer, but then she came to think of another precaution. "And if anything goes wrong, you'll send for the orderlies, right?"

"Precisely. You needn't worry, Dr. Quinzel. I trust you can do this." He put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. _He trusts me._ It was a comforting thought.

* * *

It was now 9:57. She stood outside the examination room. He was in there. She had her clipboard and pencil at the ready. There would be others watching. She was completely safe. Nothing could go wrong. Right? _God, Harley, you're such a wimp! Just go in there already!_ She took one last calming breath and with a slightly unsteady hand, she lay her access card against the lock and the familiar click that indicated the door was open had her heart skip a beat. It was now or never. Moving her glasses back up her nose in place, she then pressed the heavy handle down and opened the door.

When she entered, she was met by him sitting across a small table. He wore the typical orange jumpsuit and his hands were cuffed. An empty seat was waiting for her opposite to him. He looked up from the table and stared at her. She thought his piercing gaze would burn a hole in her head, like a bullet. His greasy, green hair fell down across his face and his scars caught her attention. Without the makeup on, she could really see the depth of them. They curved into a wry smile. He was the first to speak.

"Hello… Dr. Quinzel." Harley raised her gaze from the scars to his eyes again. His words caught her off guard and she needed a minute to process what he had just said. _He just said my name._ Her eyes widened and her mouth opened to reply.

"How do you know my name?" she quickly got out of herself.

"You have a name tag," he said and licked his lips, then pointed to the ID resting on her chest. She looked down and let out a nervous chuckle.

"Oh… yes, that's right. I forgot I had it."

She cleared her throat and straightened her posture and smoothed out the folds on her shirt. Then she started to move in her heels towards the empty chair. His piercing gaze followed her every move. Just like an animal watching its prey. But she was not to let herself be a prey. "Yes, I'm Dr. Harleen Quinzel and I am going to be your new therapist." She sat down and rested her arms on the table, leaning in ever so slightly towards him to make him understand that she meant business. "From what I've learned, you've had quite a few," she added seriously, trying her best to return a piercing gaze through her spectacles.

To her relief, he leaned back in his chair instead of mimicking her move. "Correct," he answered, popping the t at the end. Harley continued to play calm.

"You should know that they were thinking about giving up on you. Dr. Arkham said that you refused to speak to the other doctors."

"Uh-huh."

"But you're not refusing to speak to me." She was surprised by how steady she was able to keep her voice. Then an idea came to her mind. "Now why is that, Mr…?" she asked politely and at the same time trying to get a name out of him. She had feared that he wouldn't answer, but to her surprise, he did. However, her hopes of getting a real name were quickly drained down the pipe.

"J." One letter. That was all. "You can call me Mr. J." _Well, at least it's something._

"All right… Mr. J. You didn't answer my question." He sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Questions, questions, _questions…_ " he mumbled, leaning back in his chair and drawing circles with his right index finger on the table. "How about we play a game instead?"

 _This can't be good,_ she thought. Any game of the Joker's was sure to only end with him being the winner. Still, she allowed herself to give in.

"What game did you have in mind?" she asked. He was instantly revived from his train of thought, overjoyed by the fact that she agreed to play. She regretted having asked, because now he leaned forward instead, mirroring her pose by resting his arms on the table as well.

"Oh, it's simple really. Just hand me some white and black grease paint and perhaps some red lipstick if you got any and we can start." He flashed a wide yellow-toothed grin at her. She didn't return the gesture. Oh, he was playing with her all right. Obviously, he wasn't going to open up to her until he got what he wanted. But the call wasn't really hers to make. She would have to speak with Dr. Arkham about it first.

"I'll see what I can do," she said. "Until then, I think we should just take a break." This time, she did smile and without another word she got up from her chair and walked over to the door. But he wasn't quite finished yet.

"Forgive me, doc, but, um…" With her hand on the handle, she flipped her head back around, waiting for him to go on. "You don't really, uh… _look…_ like a doctor."

That's exactly what everyone else had been telling her too. She was well aware she didn't look the part, but that didn't mean she couldn't play it. She was tired of people doubting her. She recovered from his statement and gained the control once more. "I would ask you to address me as Dr. Quinzel, please. I will see what I can do about your request." She opened the door, but didn't put one foot outside of the room before he spoke up again.

"Aww, leaving so soon?" The Joker gave her a fake pout and without being able to hide it, she smiled one last time.

"Good day, Mr. J," was all she said before the door shut closed behind her. She could see no guard in sight, but she figured they'd come for him soon enough. She decided to head for the conference room.

The closer she got, she could hear voices from within the room. One, she instantly recognized as Dr. Arkham's. Then she heard him say her name. She slowed down her steps and came to a complete stop just outside the room. The door was open by just a crack. She heard another man speaking and she instantly figured it was Dr. Strange due to the accent. "But look at her! She's a porcelain doll!" Ouch. That hurt. _How many of the other doctors think the same about me?_ "Do you really expect her to make any progress with him? You saw what happened. Even _he_ does not take her seriously!"

"With all due respect, _doctor,"_ Dr. Arkham retorted, "I don't think he takes _anything_ seriously. And correct me if I'm wrong here, but, I don't recall _you_ ever getting this far with him." There was a short pause and Harley imagined the grim face on Dr. Strange. "And who knows," Dr. Arkham continued, "perhaps he likes porcelain dolls?" he suggested, somewhat ironically.

"Yes," Dr. Strange said. "He likes to break their necks!" She heard them move and so she quickly skipped a few steps back down the corridor and then walked back towards the conference room, pretending as if she hadn't heard. She looked up to meet Dr. Strange storming out of the room, but he passed her without a sideways glance. She let out a breath and then entered the room where Dr. Arkham was the only one left.

"Dr. Arkham?" His head whipped around at the sound of her voice.

"Ah, Dr. Quinzel. We were just watching your session."

"How did I do?" she asked before she could stop her curiosity. He shrugged.

"Could have been better. Could have been worse. How do _you_ think you did?" She also shrugged.

"I think I did all right. But yes, it could have been better." She looked down, somewhat unsure of herself. _It could have been_ way _better._

"I'm just glad you remembered my advice," Dr. Arkham said to cheer her up. "You're the one in charge. You made the right decision to end the session right then and there. I think each session with him should stay relatively short and only twice a week. That's enough for _anyone_ to handle."

* * *

After having persuaded Dr. Arkham to get the face paint, (he wanted her to continue the sessions and so he didn't really have much of a choice) she proceeded the day by getting to know the place a bit more.

When she got home to her apartment, she could let out a sigh of relief and she leaned back against the door for support. "Rough day, Harl," she said to herself. "But you did good." She patted her own shoulder before pushing away from the door and stepping out of her heels, not minding to put them neatly together. She was exhausted, yes, but she needed to clear her mind and so, she found herself changing into a pair of black training tights and a grey, slightly oversized sweatshirt. She left her hair in its ponytail and then put on her trainers, heading back out to go for a run.

She thought about the times she used to go for a run three to four times a week while she was still training gymnastics. She had been really good at it and she still went to the local stadium at times as to not let her body forget everything. She quit training a couple of years after having started her studies at Gotham University. Gymnastics became a distraction and to get high grades was her top priority. Plus, it just wasn't that fun anymore. Of course, her father had been disappointed. He would have wanted to see her compete on a professional level in the future. But Harley knew that she lacked the passion to become a professional athlete. Her _true_ interest lay with the criminal mind. That's why she had applied to Arkham and although her first day there should have scared her out of her wits and made her resign and never return, that was not the case. In fact, she could not wait to see the Joker again.

* * *

 **A/N: I just want to say thank you to everyone who reviewed! It makes me so happy to know that you liked the first chapter, so hopefully you'll like this one too. And if you have any kind of constructive criticism, I'm happy to hear that as well, because English is not my native language, so if I make any errors or if my language isn't varied enough, then please let me know! My goal with this is to give you the best reading experience possible and also to improve my skills as a writer. Don't know when the next chapter will be up, but hopefully at least before the week is over. :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

It was Wednesday and Harley had a busy schedule. No Joker today; his sessions were scheduled for Mondays and Thursdays, but at 9:00 AM she had a therapy session with one of her other patients; a middle-aged man with OCD as well as dissociative identity disorder. It was a good warm up for the rest of the day. Half an hour later, she took time to transfer her notes to his file while drinking coffee. It was then she heard a soft knock on her door. She called for them to come in and one of the orderlies came into her office. She had seen him before. He seemed to be in his early thirties, just a tad taller than her, clean shaved face and short, dark hair. You really wouldn't believe he was an orderly. He looked way too friendly for that, especially right now, the way he smiled at her.

"Good morning, Dr. Quinzel. Hope I'm not interrupting." She put her cup of coffee down and shook her head.

"Not at all. I believe we haven't been properly introduced, have we?" She got up from behind her desk and walked over to him and they shook hands. "Harleen Quinzel, but you can call me Harley. Everyone does."

"Hi Harley, I'm Patrick Dormer." His green eyes beamed at her and she couldn't help but smile. He was kind of cute.

"Well, what can I do for you, Patrick?" she asked and he seemed to wake up from a daze.

"Yes, um, well…" he fumbled, searching for the right way to put it. "I know that this might seem a little too, well, _sudden_ and all, but…" _Oh God, please don't say what I think you're about to say._ She waited for him to go on, internally dreading the question she'd heard all too many times already. "Would you like to go out sometime?"

Her fears came true. It had not been an uncommon thing for her to get asked out by guys during high school and college. Some guys were okay, but most of them had been real jerks, only looking for a hot chick to brag about. Sometimes she wished she didn't look the way she did, but sometimes her looks had proven to be useful. For one thing, she was able to surprise people. While she was tired of people looking at her, thinking she was just a silly blonde, she _loved_ it when she saw the look on their faces once they found out she had actually graduated med school and at the top of her class too.

Still, this guy seemed to be as far away from a jerk as you could get. He wouldn't stop smiling at her and well, she just didn't have it in her to turn him down. "Sure," she said, "why not?"

"Really?" She didn't think it was possible, but his smile grew bigger. He acted almost like a child would on Christmas. "Do you have any plans on Friday?" She shook her head.

"No, not that I know of."

"Great, I know the perfect restaurant in Midtown! You'll love it!"

"It's a date. We'll talk about it later, okay?" Frankly, she just wanted him to leave now and so she ushered him towards the door.

"Okay. Thank you, Dr. Quin – I mean, _Harley_."

"Bye Patrick." She gave him one last smile before closing the door on him. _Great job Harley, you can't even say a simple "no" because you don't want to be impolite._

* * *

Her whole afternoon had consisted of paperwork. She felt a slight headache creeping in. When everything finally was done, she looked down at her watch. 4:26 PM. _Shit._ She had planned to have coffee with Cassidy at 4:30. Cassidy had been her friend ever since they went to kindergarten together in Brooklyn. They had both grown up there and when it was time for college, they both went to Gotham University and they never went back to New York. Harley disposed of her doctor's coat, grabbed her purse and left the office.

Why was there always heavy traffic when you were in a hurry? Harley cursed under her breath as she waited for the line she was in to start moving. When she finally made it to the café, she saw Cassidy's car already parked outside. She got out, slammed the door shut and hurried inside. _I must look like a mess._

Her eyes instantly found her friend by a small table for two in the back. She walked over and took the empty seat opposite to Cass. "Hey, sorry I'm late. Paperwork." She decided to keep the explanation short. All she wanted to do now was sit down, relax and drink her coffee, which she noticed was already in front of her.

"It's okay. I ordered the usual," Cassidy answered and sipped on her own cup of freshly brewed coffee.

"Thanks," Harley replied with a smile. "Remind me to pay you back later."

"Don't worry. It's on me," Cassidy insisted. Harley wouldn't argue. She knew it was no use. So she only said "thanks" and then began drinking her own coffee. Thankfully, it was still warm.

"So…" Cassidy began, a little hesitant, but Harley could hear the curiousness in her tone. "How are things in the nuthouse?" _Perfect. Just what I need._ She pursed her lips and put the cup down on the table, still keeping both hands around it.

"They're good," she said. "Everything's fine, really." She hoped it would suffice as an answer, but Cassidy wouldn't have it.

"I'll believe that as much as I want to," she said. "Come on, let me in on some details."

Harley sighed. "Well…" she began. "Things really are good, but then I guess, there are a few colleagues of mine that I'm not particularly fond of."

"Do tell."

"I don't know if you've heard about him. His name is Dr. Hugo Strange."

"Oh yeah, I've read about him in the papers."

"Yeah, well… He called me a porcelain doll." Cassidy almost choked on her coffee. She snorted and let out a chuckle.

"What?"

"Yeah," she confirmed. Cassidy calmed down a bit, trying to compose herself.

"Well, I mean, I can understand why," she said and used her hand to address Harley. _Yeah, I am a porcelain doll, aren't I?_ She wouldn't let on, but the words that just came from her friend really hurt her. "But don't let him get to you," Cassidy added and Harley let her gaze fall with a halfhearted smile. Cassidy realized her mistake and decided to change the subject.

"So, how is your love life?" Harley knew that Cassidy had always been one who loved hearing about dirty little details. However, this time, Harley could not please her friend.

"Sorry to disappoint, but there's not much going on in my love life right now."

"Oh come on, not even one of your patients have been hitting on you?" Cassidy teased. Harley rolled her eyes, but then she came to think of the Joker. Although he hadn't exactly _hit_ on her during their one meeting, there was still something telling her he had certainly been _interested_ or at the very least _intrigued_ by her. Why else would he have decided to talk to her? He hadn't spoken to any of the others. He had even confirmed that himself.

"No," Harley answered, "but one of the orderlies who work there asked me out today." This pleased Cassidy, who raised her eyebrows.

"Ooh, is he cute?" Harley shrugged.

"I guess. At least he was very kind."

"But what did you say? Don't tell me you turned him down! Poor fellow."

"I wish I had, but no, he's taking me out this Friday." Cassidy grinned from ear to ear.

"You have to tell me all about it!"

Harley promised to tell her friend, but she figured there really wouldn't be a lot to tell. With the headache still throbbing in her head, she decided to go to bed and get some well needed rest. Tomorrow she would have her second session with the Joker.

* * *

 **A/N: So yeah, I figured Harley needed a friend, so I created Cassidy. Sorry that there's no Mistah J in this chapter, but he'll show up in the next one! ;)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

On Mondays, her therapy sessions with the Joker were held at 10:00 AM. However, on Thursdays, which was today, they were scheduled for 3:00 PM. That just made the wait even more excruciating. Harley blamed herself a little for it. She wasn't _supposed_ to look forward to it. No one in their right mind would ever look forward to meeting the Joker. But he was just so interesting and during their last session, she had barley even scratched the surface. She wanted to know more about him.

She had her lunch in the employees' cafeteria with Dr. Joan Leland. Already from day one, they had gotten along really well. "Have you made yourself at home yet?" Joan asked her.

"Yeah, I think so. At least I think it feels as homey as it can get in a place like this." They shared a laugh and that's when Patrick, the orderly who had asked Harley out, came to their table. He announced his presence with a simple hello, gave a nod to Joan and then looked down at Harley. She looked right back up to meet his gaze.

"Hi Harley, I just wanted to make sure you're still up for tomorrow, right?"

"Of course." She glanced sideways to Joan for a split second and she could see how amused she was at the scene.

"Great! So when and where shall I pick you up? I was thinking if you're not working, I could pick you up at seven?"

"That'll be great. You can pick me up at my place. Hold on a sec…" She grabbed her purse by her feet on the floor and withdrew a pen and a piece of paper. She scribbled down her address and gave it to Patrick. "Here you go." She added a smile and he returned it.

"Thanks," he said and then there was a pause where he just kept on smiling down at her. Joan decided that the silence was uncomfortable and pretended to cough. That seemed to wake him up. "Well, uh, I'll see you tomorrow then. Bye, Harley. Joan." Once again, all Joan got was a simple nod. Harley kept her smiling face on until he had left the cafeteria.

"Looks like you've got an admirer," Joan said and smirked. Harley rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, well, he's not the first admirer I've come across and something tells me he will certainly not be the last."

Finally it was time for the long awaited session and this time when she walked in, she was met by his face covered in white, black and red. Apparently they had given the face paint to him in advance and she guessed he probably kept the paint in his cell. "Good afternoon, Mr. J," she greeted and took her seat across from him. "I see you've received the paint you requested."

"Oh yeah, much obliged, doc."

"Doctor Quinzel," she corrected him.

" _Doctor Quinzel,_ " he mimicked her and rolled his eyes. She smiled to herself.

"Normally I wouldn't encourage it," she went on and gestured to his face. "But if it makes you feel more comfortable, then I understand. All I want is for you to feel comfortable with me. It's the only way we can make this work." He was quiet for a moment, staring her down, not blinking once. She had no idea what he was about to do or say.

"Well, I'm _touched,_ " he said and she relaxed. "None of those other shrinks ever gave a _damn_ about my comfort." He sounded hurt, but she figured it didn't really matter that much to him. Or maybe it did?

"Well, then maybe that was why it didn't work out?" she mused aloud, thinking about how no one else had managed to get to him. Not even Joan. She had told Harley that herself. "Because…" Harley looked back into his dark eyes. With the black paint around them, they were just like a never-ending pool of black water. "…they didn't care," she finished.

"Oh, they _cared,_ " the Joker said. "But only about _themselves._ Don't tell me you haven't thought about it too, doc?"

She was too bemused by his question to even bother correcting him again. "About what?" she inquired. He glanced around the room.

"Here you are," he started, "sitting across from the crown jewel of Arkham. This case could make your career. So don't tell me that you're not in this for yourself." He stared her down again, daring her to contradict him. But she really didn't have any other choice, because the truth was, while she knew that this was a big, serious case, she hadn't agreed to take it on because of her own possible gain.

"Actually… I _haven't_ thought about it, until now. You're right. If this case goes well, it could be the start of a very successful career, but in order for it to _go_ well…" She paused to see if she had his attention. He was all ears. "…then we will have to work _together._ That's what the other doctors failed to realize."

"I agree," he said and his words surprised her. "I think we make a _great team._ " He bared his teeth in a wide open smile. You could interpret his words anyway you wanted to and Harley decided that she would take them to heart. He _was_ in fact liking her.

Before she could say anything more, he beat her to it. "So doc, why don't you tell me a little about yourself?" _Wait, did he just ask me a question?_ she thought to herself.

"Mr. J, this is not _my_ therapy session. Any questions about me are irrelevant."

"Who cares if it's relevant?" he asked in an exasperated tone. "I thought we were a team." _Well, he's right in that._ Then an idea struck her.

"Okay, how about this? We take turns asking each other _one_ question. Is that all right with you?" He merely shrugged.

"Better than nothing. I go first!" He sounded just like a child eager to play. "What did you do before you became a doctor?" She had to think about that one. There were so many possible ways she could answer. What did she do before she came here? Well, she studied, of course, but that was a no brainer. She knew he wouldn't be satisfied with that answer. Then it came to her.

"Well, I was a gymnast a couple of years ago. That's how I earned my scholarship to Gotham University."

"Well, I've never had a gymnast before," he mumbled to himself, but she was perfectly able to make the words out. She furrowed her eyebrows. _Did he just insinuate what I think he did?_

"Excuse me?" she asked, sounding offended. How could she not? He noticed it and instantly corrected himself.

"Oh, I mean in my _gang._ "

"Right…" Her expression softened a little. "Your gang. We haven't talked about that." Here she had an opportunity to ask something of worth. She grabbed her pencil and was ready to take notes. "Do you have a specific number of followers or is the number irrelevant to you?" He shrugged again.

"Well, you know what they say: the more the merrier."

"Yes and uh… Do you consider the members of your gang to be your friends?"

"I thought it was my turn to ask a question." She looked up from her notes, totally having forgotten about it. She was all too eager to get her answers.

"Sorry," she said. She put her pencil down. "Ask away."

"How old are you?" _Wow, that was… blunt._

"I'm twenty-seven." Now it was her turn and she decided to continue her last question.

"As I said, do you see the members of your gang as your friends?"

"Uh… _Sure._ What's your favourite colour?" His questions weren't so much psychological as hers, but she was glad for it. They were plain and simple, which made it easy for her to answer.

"Red. Is your gang loyal to you?" It worked just like a tennis game. Back and forth it went and it wasn't about to stop there.

"Most of the time. How many boyfriends have you had? Or _girlfriends?_ " he quickly added. _Okay, getting more personal. Not sure if I can allow that._

"You're a curious one, aren't you?"

"Well, aren't all men?" He licked his lips and raised his eyebrows in a flirtatious way. She was about to answer, but caught herself before she could, recognizing the question mark at the end of his sentence.

"Ah-ah," she reprimanded. "It's my turn to ask." If he could, she was certain he would have crossed his arms as he pouted in discontent. She was thankful for the handcuffs. "So…" she knew exactly what she wanted to ask, still focusing on the subject of his gang. "If someone in your gang would ever turn out to be _dis_ loyal… would you just let it pass or would you…" She paused, thinking of all the dreaded ways he might actually be capable of. "…punish them?"

Suddenly he smirked and instead of giving _his_ answer, he let _her_ answer the question. "What do you think?" he asked. She hadn't been prepared for it. She didn't want to go into detail and she certainly didn't want to offend him by outright saying what she thought, but it was probably the truth.

"I'm guessing you're not a man of a forgiving nature," she started. He didn't say anything to contradict her, so she went on. "So if anyone were to betray you, then no," she shook her head, "I do not think you would let it pass." That smirk crept back up on his face again.

"You know doc, it's amazing how well you read me after only our uh, what, _second_ date?" She chuckled lightly at his use of words.

" _That's_ what we're calling it now?"

"Only if you want to, of course," he reassured her. "I was thinking next time I could take you to my cell. It's _really comfy._ " That tongue of his slipped out again. It was a bad habit she found happened quite frequently. She smiled to herself.

"Maybe some other time," she played along, not declining nor accepting his shameless offer. "I think we've covered enough for today." She got to her feet and grabbed her clipboard and pencil. "I'll see you on Monday, Mr. J."

"It's a date," he said and winked at her before she left. For some reason she felt her cheeks grow warm at the gesture.

When she walked out, she was met by the orderly who was taking the Joker back to his cell. He was by far one of the more intimidating orderlies. Tall and broad with a bald head and big hands. "Everything okay, Dr. Quinzel?" he asked and his voice was deep and husky, but at the same time quite friendly.

"Yes," she answered. "You can take him back to his cell now."

When she got home, she reread her notes over and over again, trying to figure him out. She thought that this session had been quite interesting and definitely a lot better than the last one. She wondered what the next one would be like.

* * *

 **A/N: Sorry for keeping you all waiting for almost an entire week, but at least this chapter is quite long, so I hope that makes up for it! :) Don't know when the next update will be though, next week is a busy week for me, because I'm graduating! YAY! :D Like I said, any constructive criticism is more than welcome and I love reading reviews in general. ;) I also have to say that this story was inspired by another Joker/Harley fanfic in the Nolan-verse. The story is called "Bad Jokes" by Doctor Harley Quinn here on ff. Her story is a thousand times better than mine and it's hard to come up with something original which is still good when you've read a fanfic that's as good as hers. It even has a sequel which I enjoyed even more! So if you haven't read it, I highly recommend it! :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

When the clock struck four on Friday afternoon, Harley headed home from work. The weather today was perfect for a run: sunny, but not too hot, nor to cold. So once she came to her apartment, she got changed and went out for a run around the neighbourhood. She had planned on taking a shower later anyway before Patrick would come to pick her up, so why not get a little exercise first? Frankly, she needed the fresh air after being cooped up all day in the nuthouse.

After a refreshing shower, she had just managed to step out and wrap a towel around her when her cellphone rang. She hurried out of the bathroom and into the bedroom where she had tossed her cell onto the bed. She picked it up and saw her friend Cassidy's face on the display. "Hey Cass," she answered.

" _Hey Harls!"_ Cassidy sounded all too chipper for a normal conversation, which led Harley to believe that her friend hadn't just called to chat. _"I just wanted to call and wish you good luck tonight!"_ Harley snorted at that and rolled her eyes, even if Cassidy couldn't see it.

"Thanks, I'm gonna need all the luck I can get."

" _Just promise to call when it's over. I need to know all about it!"_ Harley sighed.

"I _promise_ ," she reassured. "Now I need to get ready. Bye, Cass!"

" _Bye, Harls!"_ Harley was the first to hang up. She shook her head with a light chuckle and tossed the phone back onto the bed.

Harley picked out a simple, black cocktail dress along with a pair of black pumps. There was no need to get _too_ fancy. She settled for some red lipstick and black mascara and let her hair hang down the way it was. Honestly, she'd rather just stay at home and watch TV, but a promise was a promise.

Not surprisingly, the doorbell rang about five minutes before seven. _Better early than late anyway_ , she thought to herself as she went to open the door. She was met by Patrick, holding a bouquet of pink roses. He wore a dark blue shirt with black jeans and she noticed he had spent a lot of time to get his hair done neatly. As per usual, he smiled at her. "Hi Harley," he said and looked her up and down. "You look beautiful."

"Thanks," she smiled back. "You're not so shabby yourself."

"These are for you." He handed her the bouquet and she took hold of it, smelling the scent.

"They're beautiful, thank you! I'll just put them in a vase." She went into the kitchen, grabbing the first vase she could find and filled it up with water. She put the bouquet in it and placed the vase on the kitchen table.

"I'm ready," she said when she came back to the front door and grabbed her purse along the way.

"All right, let's go then." Harley locked the door and followed Patrick out to his car.

Thankfully, the ride didn't take more than fifteen minutes and the radio was on to keep the awkward silence away, although Harley didn't have to worry much about what to say. It appeared that Patrick actually _loved_ to talk. During the ride, he described his day at work for her and how one of the inmates at Arkham had decided to start a food fight in the cafeteria. Patrick had of course been there to prevent it from escalating.

When they arrived at the restaurant, Patrick opened the door for Harley and helped her out of the car. _Such a gentleman._ She didn't voice that thought aloud, but only said "thank you." The restaurant was a two storey building with a lot of tall windows. There was even a red carpet leading up to the entrance where a doorman was waiting to open the door for the arriving customers. Harley had never been here before and now she understood why. There was no way that this place could be cheap.

"Good evening," said the doorman as they approached and he opened the door for them. The inside was even fancier than the outside. A wall fountain was placed on the wall opposite to the entrance and a huge crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling. There were a lot of tables spread across the room and there seemed to be quite a lot of guests. Patrick must have made a reservation, although she had no idea how he could possibly have managed that. One would have to make a reservation _weeks_ in advance to get a table here.

Anyway, they were escorted to a table for two and Patrick kept up his gentlemanly act and pulled out the chair for Harley. Once they were both seated, Harley glanced around the place once more, taking it all in. "Wow, this place is really fancy! Do you come here often?" She didn't think that a regular Arkham orderly would really be able to afford coming to a place like this more than once a month, but who was she to judge?

"From time to time," he shrugged. "Whenever the paycheck rolls in I like to spoil myself. But this time I get to spoil a beautiful girl. Or maybe you prefer 'woman?'" he quickly added.

"It really doesn't matter," she reassured. "I like to be spoiled once in a while."

One of the waitresses came up to their table with a couple of menus, but before she could hand them out, Patrick stopped her. "There's no need, I already know what to order." _Well, maybe you do, but what about me?_ Once again, she didn't voice that thought, but she couldn't refrain from furrowing her eyebrows at him. "We'll both have number thirteen," he told the waitress and she scribbled it down on her notepad. He turned to look at Harley. "Trust me, you'll love this one." She forced a smile, but she wasn't convinced. Couldn't he at least have let her look at the menu? But she didn't argue, not wanting to be a bother.

"And what would you like to drink?" the waitress asked.

"Just water," Harley replied before Patrick could do it for her.

"I'll have the same," Patrick said and the waitress left.

It was quiet between the two for a moment. When Harley looked around she noticed just how many of Gotham's socialites were there. The ladies wore fancy dresses and expensive jewelry and the men were dressed in Gucci suits. Some were even rude enough to stare at Harley and Patrick, no doubt thinking that they didn't belong there. "However were you able to make a reservation here?" Harley asked. Patrick shrugged again with a smirk.

"I have a couple of friends in high places. They're always kind enough to help me out. For one fact, I know the owner." Harley raised her eyebrows.

"The _owner?_ " she asked, a little impressed. "Who is that?" As if on cue, a man in a tailored suit came over to their table. He was accompanied by a young woman who wouldn't take her hands off his arm.

"Patrick, so good to see you," the man said and when Harley looked up into his face, she couldn't believe who it was.

"Good to see you too, Bruce." Patrick shook hands with none other than Bruce Wayne. "Harley, this is Bruce Wayne. He owns the place." Bruce turned to Harley who was still slightly in shock. He extended his hand to her as well and she took it.

"Nice to meet you, Harley," Bruce said and then he paused, scrutinizing her face. "Say, wouldn't I know you? I know we haven't met, but I think I've seen your face in the papers."

"Well, I can understand that," Patrick said. "A face like that is hard to forget." _Is he just going to keep talking about my looks the whole evening?_ Bruce snapped his fingers.

"Now I know! You're Dr. Harleen Quinzel, aren't you? The Joker's new shrink?" Harley nodded.

"Yes, that's me," she confirmed and once again, forced a smile. She didn't feel like talking about this now.

"You take care of yourself, all right?" Bruce said. "It was nice meeting you both. Now if you'll excuse us, we have our own table to go to." And so Bruce and his lovely company left them in peace.

"That's the fourth girl I've seen him with here," Patrick told her and chuckled. "I wonder if he's ever going to tie the knot."

"Who knows?" Harley spotted their waitress who came back with a jug of ice water and filled their glasses for them. They both thanked her and she said she'd be right back with their orders. _He said number thirteen,_ Harley thought. She wasn't one who believed in superstition, but she really had no idea what was coming. The waitress exited the kitchen, carrying to plates, coming closer and closer. _All right, here goes. Please let it be anything but…_ The waitress put the plates down in front of them.

 _Fish._

"Hope you enjoy!" the waitress said and she was off again. On the plate before Harley, there was a butter fried cod, potato puree, asparagus and white wine sauce.

"Hope you like fish," Patrick said. He had already grabbed his fork and knife, digging in. That was the third time that night Harley had to force a smile. _Oh, so now you bother to take my opinion into account._

Harley had to force half of that cod down her throat. Okay, so it wasn't as bad as she'd feared, but it was still enough to make her sick. She had to lie and say that she wasn't really that hungry. When Patrick pulled over his car outside Harley's apartment, he grabbed her hand before she got out of the car. "I really had a good time tonight," he said.

"Yeah, so did I," she lied.

"Maybe we could do it again sometime?" Harley had feared he would ask her that. She simply gave him a smile and told him that they could talk about it later. So without further ado, he let her go and she waved him off. She knew one thing for sure: she would _never_ go out with him again.

* * *

 **A/N: So what do you know, I whipped this chapter up real quick after all! No Joker though, I felt like this chapter had to focus solely on Harley's horrible date night. Poor thing, right? And also, Bruce Wayne cameo! I'm also planning to have a B-man cameo in the future. I know that Bruce/Batman more or less goes into hiding in between The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises, but I mean, come on, it's not like the criminal activity is going to die out during eight whole years! And the Joker isn't very likey to stay put in Arkham for that long either without escaping every once in a while. That's just how it works. No disrespect to Christopher Nolan of course or anyone else. I know that the reason the last film was played out that way is most likely because of Heath Ledger's passing. I'm sure he would have had a role in the last film had he still been with us. Rest in peace, Heath, you'll always be remembered...**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Cassidy had been disappointed to hear about the date, but at least she agreed that Patrick was not a keeper. That cheered Harley up a bit. The weekend was over and it was the start of a new week. Harley had been eagerly waiting for Monday to come. Time to meet the Joker again.

At 10:00 AM she stepped into the examination room for the third time. Just as before, he was already there and today he had a somewhat bitter look on his face. She decided not to bring it up as she sat down. "Good morning Mr. J. How are you feeling today?" The frown on his face wouldn't go away.

"Isn't it obvious?" he asked. "And don't pretend as if you don't know why," he added in a sharp tone. She certainly wasn't following.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I really have no clue what you're talking about."

"Stop trying to act so innocent. I know you've been cheating on me." Okay, now she _definitely_ wasn't following.

"Come again?" she inquired, waiting for an explanation. He rolled his eyes at her and groaned.

"Do I have to repeat myself? I know you're seeing someone else, aren't you?" If he was referring to the other patients she was seeing during the weeks, then the answer was yes.

"Well, you aren't my only patient, Mr. J," she explained calmly and she was slightly amused at the fact that he was apparently jealous. But then his next words had her go rigid.

"I wasn't talking about that," he said. "You were out on a date Friday night, weren't you?"

 _How can he possibly know about that?_ she thought to herself and she was a little scared for a moment. She had to ask him. "How do you know that?" He shrugged.

"A little bird told me." She relaxed and smiled knowingly.

"Of course. This place is full of gossip, isn't it? Well, if it makes you feel any better, I'm not going out with him again." This had him curious.

"Why not?"

"He was a total bore." At this point, she couldn't contain herself, but let out a laugh and looked down, smiling. _Stop it, Harley, this is serious!_ a voice in her head told her and she tried her best to hide the smile. The Joker tilted his head a little, also smiling.

"Why, doc, that's the first time I've heard you laugh. And a pretty smile like that to go with it just makes it even better." Finally she was able to control herself again and she looked back up, not quite being able to fathom what he'd just said. She felt herself blushing and tried to hide it, but it was hard. She thought back on the countless times that Patrick had told her how pretty she was, but not _one_ time had it made her blush. Come to think of it, the Joker had proved to be a _much_ better date than Patrick. At least the Joker was curious about her as a _person_. And that meant more to her than she knew was appropriate.

"Um, thank you," she said, her voice suddenly small. She cleared her throat and tried to get back on track. "Well, Mr. J, today I thought that perhaps we could try to have a conversation rather than ask each other questions. Does that sound all right?" She was determined not to try anything that he wasn't in on. Like she had concluded last time, they had to work _together._

"What do you want to talk about?" She was surprised at how cooperative he was, but she was happy for it.  
"Well," she started and she knew exactly what she wanted to talk about. "I think it might be a good idea to discuss the reason you're here." She knew she was being very straight forward and she had a hunch that he wouldn't want to talk about it, but she deemed it crucial. Most patients at Arkham were in such a condition that they had no idea why they were there. But if Harley was right, then she was sure the Joker was at least sane enough to know why he had been brought to the asylum. "Do you know why you're here?" He sighed in an exhausted manner, clearly not that interested in the subject.

"I guess it's because I did something wrong? Something that others would deem _illegal?_ " There was a lot of venom put into that last word. She figured he didn't like to talk about rules. She already knew before she was assigned this case that the Joker _loved_ anarchy. Harley nodded.

"Well, that is one reason. Arkham Asylum is a hospital for the criminally insane, meaning that to end up in here, one would have to commit a serious crime as well as be diagnosed with a mental illness. I want to make that clear, because I think each patient deserves to know why they're here. Now I just want to know if you're aware that your actions were wrong."

There was a short pause between them. They just stared at each other and Harley found it difficult to look away for some reason. Maybe it was because she didn't want to miss any of his movements, or maybe it was something else entirely? Finally he decided to give his answer. "Let me ask you something, doc… Is it _wrong_ to have _fun?_ "

She was not prepared for that. Was it wrong to have fun? Well, that all depended on the context, now didn't it? "That all depends on the context. If it's at the cost of someone else, then yes, I think it's wrong." He smirked. She was not expecting that.

"Always been a little miss goody two shoes, haven't you, doc?" She smirked too.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" she answered mysteriously.

"So you're saying you've never done anything out of line?" He raised his eyebrows. "Never been caught chain smoking or shoplifting?" She shook her head. "Well, isn't that disappointing," he said and slumped back in his chair.

She put on a serious face again, getting back to the subject. "You just know that I'm here to help you. I want to help you understand what you've done wrong and I want to help you with your rehabilitation."

"You mean _change_ me?" he questioned.

" _Change_ you?" she repeated.

"Uh-huh. You see doc, there was once a time when I wasn't, well, like _this,_ " he gestured to his face. "And I know you're trying to pull that person back up to the surface. But I can tell you that there is no _turning back_. Who I _was_ is not who I _am._ That person doesn't matter anymore. People always say that you should _'be yourself_ ' and that's what I'm doing. What you see is what you get and all I want is for someone to accept that. Now, is that too much to ask?"

It really wasn't supposed to be this way. How could everything he said possibly make so much sense? Somehow she figured she would never get an answer to that question.

"No," she said and shook her head. "It's not. I get it. I know what it's like to have people trying to change you. Having them try to _mold_ you into something _they_ want instead of letting you be yourself."

"Well, I'm glad _somebody_ understands."

Those words warmed her heart a lot more than they probably should have. To any other doctor at Arkham, the words meant that they had gained his trust. But to her… it was something more than that. She just couldn't quite put her finger on it. He locked his eyes with hers again and she smiled a little. "I think we've covered enough for today. I will see you on Thursday, Mr. J."

"I can't wait."

* * *

 **A/N: Yay for another chapter and more JxHQ moments! :D I can also happily say that I have officially graduated and now I have all the time in the world to work on this fic! Downside right now though is that I have a slight cold, but nothing serious, so I hope to recover within a couple of days, because next week I go to London! It's going to be the first time I'm there, but as you might figure, I won't be able to write anything while I'm there. And there are a couple of other things I have to do before then, including packing, so I'm not sure if I will be able to write another chapter before I go. That remains to be seen, but I hope you liked this chapter! Things are getting a bit more intimate. ;)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Harley walked out of the examination room and headed for her office. She didn't have any more sessions today until 2:00 PM and that left her a lot of time to deal with paperwork. She had also promised to have lunch with Cassidy today at noon.

When she sat down at her desk, Harley brought out the Joker's files to add the notes she'd taken, even though she had barely written anything. It was easy to forget to take notes whilst in his presence. So that's why she had to sit down and write some more now while it was still fresh in her mind. Her thoughts got carried away and a smile crept up on her lips when she recalled his compliment on her smile before. She had also _laughed_. She couldn't remember the last time she did that.

"Harley?" She jumped in her seat and looked up to the source of the voice. Patrick stood by the door. _Great._ "Sorry," he said, "I didn't mean to frighten you."

"That's fine," she assured him. She looked down at her watch. 11:26. She would probably have to head into town to meet up with Cassidy.

"Okay. I was just wondering if we could talk for a moment." He put on a hopeful smile which would have made her feel sympathetic, but after their last meeting, there was no way that was ever going to happen.

"Sorry Patrick," she said and quickly got out of her chair and grabbed her purse and jacket. "I have a lunch date with a friend, so I need to hurry if I'm going to get there and back here in time for my next session." That was a lie. _Just a little one,_ she told herself. "We'll talk later." And with that she rushed past him out the door, leaving him speechless and probably disappointed. _Not as disappointed as I was last Friday._

Harley arrived at the diner where she was meeting Cassidy at 11:50. Whenever they had lunch together, they always came here. It was their favourite place. When Harley walked in, she looked around to see if Cassidy was early too, but she wasn't anywhere in sight. So Harley found an empty booth and sat down. One of the waiters came over, but she told him she was still waiting for a friend. Whenever the door opened to the diner, Harley looked up, but it wasn't until the fifth time that Cassidy was the one who entered. Harley smiled and waved and Cassidy came over to sit down. "Hey," she said. "I think for the first time, _you're_ the one who's early."

"There's a first time for everything. Are you hungry?"

"Starving. Let's eat."

During their lunch, Cassidy made Harley retell the events of Friday night all over again. But what she was most curious about was Bruce Wayne. "Was he as handsome as in the pictures? Who was the girl with him?" Harley chuckled.

"Cass, if you want a date with the guy, I can just ask Patrick to talk to him."

"There's no need. I know he's out of my league."

They both ordered coffee after lunch and that's when the ambiance completely changed. "So…" Cassidy started. "How is the _freak_ doing?" Harley reacted to the word. It was so filled with venom. She knew who Cassidy meant. When she had first told her that she was treating the Joker, Cassidy had been all but happy. Now she kind of regretted having told her, but there was no hiding it. Once it was official, it had been reported in the papers _and_ on the news.

"Don't call him that," Harley said in a low voice. Cassidy snorted.

"Well, he _is!_ Come on, do you honestly believe he can be sane again? If he ever was sane." Harley thought about it. The answer that popped into her head made her proud of herself.

"Well, if I didn't believe, then… I don't see why I agreed to take the case to begin with." That seemed to shut her up. Cassidy shrugged.

"Okay. I just don't get how you're able to put up with him. If I were you, I would be scared shitless."

"Don't get me wrong. He terrifies me," Harley confessed. "But, he also fascinates me, so that kinda makes up for it." Cassidy furrowed her eyebrows.

"I don't get how anyone can be fascinated by a criminal." Harley was starting to lose her patience. Couldn't she just leave the subject alone? Still, she felt the need to explain herself.

"It's not the fact that he's a criminal. It's… the way he looks at the world. The way he looks at society. All his… ideas…" She trailed off, suddenly lost in thought, thinking back on their previous session.

She clearly remembered all the things he said. She remembered his voice. And his face. With time, she got more comfortable around him and now she even dared to fully look into his eyes. They were brown, but with a little bit of green in them.

"Harley?" Cassidy snapped her fingers. Harley looked up and blinked.

"Oh, sorry."

"I asked you what kind of ideas?" Oh yeah, they were talking about the Joker. Harley sipped on her coffee again in hopes of staying alert this time. It was never a good thing to zone out.

"I'm sorry Cass, but I can't tell you anything. It's confidential."

"Aw, come on. We're talking about the most dangerous man in the city! Do you think he cares?" Now she was _really_ losing her patience. She couldn't believe how Cassidy could be this reckless. He may be a criminal, but he was also a human being with the same rights as them.

"It doesn't matter who he is." Harley was stone-faced, boring her eyes into Cassidy's, hoping she would get the memo. "I treat him the same way I would any other patient. And he expects me to keep all the information he gives me inside of the asylum. If you wanted to know so much about him that bad, then why didn't _you_ go to med school to later apply for a job at the loony bin?" She hadn't meant to become aggressive, but Cassidy asked for it and it seemed she finally decided to drop the subject. She just grew quiet. "You know what?" Harley said. "Let's just don't talk about work."

And they didn't. They barely talked at all. Harley felt bad about it. Cassidy didn't dare say much more. Or maybe she just refused to speak because she was pissed that Harley wouldn't please her with info on the Joker. But how could she? Even if they were friends, it could get Harley into trouble. And she didn't want that. Dr. Arkham trusted her. And she wanted to believe that the Joker also did.

They parted with halfhearted goodbyes and Harley headed back to work, not looking forward to the rest of the day.

* * *

 **A/N: Hey there! Sorry for the delay, but as I mentioned, I had a cold and it got worse, so I had no energy to write anything before I went to London. I got home yesterday and boy am I glad to be home! It's really exhausting to travel a long distance and I hate flights. London was nice and all (I got some Suicide Squad merch, yay!) but I don't think big cities are really my thing. It was too much people for my liking.**

 **Anyway, this chapter is probably very boring and it's not very long, but since it's been a while since I posted chapter six I just really wanted to get something out while I work on the next chapter, which will hopefully be a bit more exciting. I also want to thank everyone for reading, reviewing, following and adding this story to their favourites, it really means a lot and helps me keep going!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

For the next couple of days, whenever Harley wasn't having a therapy session, she tried her best to avoid bumping into Patrick again. She did so by seeking out Joan Leland at lunch and coffee breaks. Joan found the whole thing hilarious, but at the same time she understood Harley, who had told her about the date. Joan agreed that Patrick didn't seem like the type of guy who understood women.

The days couldn't pass by any slower to Harley. During therapy sessions, she wished she was sitting across from the Joker and not some rapist with a dissociative identity disorder. (She had therapy with _him_ on Wednesdays.) She also found it hard to sleep at night, as her mind kept on drifting back to the Joker.

Finally Thursday came and despite the fact that she hadn't gotten a decent amount of sleep, Harley was suddenly filled with an energy reminiscent of that of a child's on Christmas morning. The excitement was taking over.

She headed over to the examination room about ten minutes before the session was due. On the way, she met the orderly with the bald head and broad shoulders again. He acknowledged her with a nod. "Dr. Quinzel, I just brought the Joker to the examination room. He's waiting for ya."

"Thank you," she said and looked down at his name tag; _D. Hartley._ "Mr. Hartley." He only nodded again before they passed each other by. She reached the door five minutes ahead of schedule. She looked down at her watch. It seemed as if every second was a whole minute. _So what if I'm early?_ she questioned herself. _He doesn't know the exact time anyway, there's no clock in there._ She simply couldn't wait any longer and so she unlocked the door and walked in.

He was there, slumping in his chair, hands cuffed, face painted. The paint wasn't very well applied though, but she figured he usually had a mirror to help him out with that. There was no way anyone was letting a mirror near him in here. There was no telling what he would do with the glass shards of a smashed mirror. It probably wasn't anything pleasant.

Harley smiled and took her seat. "Good afternoon Mr. J. How are you?" It was the way she greeted all of her patients: asking how they were feeling. There was a different answer each time and _this_ time, his answer had her close to blushing again.

"Good, now that _you're_ here, doctor." She looked down and bit her lip, trying to hide her smile.

"It's nice to see you too, Mr. J," she answered and looked up again. She placed her notepad on the table and grabbed her pen, placing the tip on the paper. _This_ time, she would remember to take notes. "Now, why don't you tell me about your week? What have you been up to since our last meeting?"

"Missing you." She had barely finished her question before he gave her his answer. She looked up from behind her glasses with her lips parted in sheer surprise as a result. _Did he really mean that?_

"That's… that's nice to hear," she said. "I'm glad that we're getting along." _Great Harley, keep it professional,_ she commended herself. But the Joker was not interested in keeping things professional.

"Aw, come now, doc; don't tell me you didn't miss me too." He raised his eyebrows suggestively. He was not making it easy for her.

"Fine," she gave in. "I missed you too." She only said it to satisfy him, but she couldn't deny that she was telling the truth. She only hoped that he didn't notice her hidden sincerity. She was about to go on, but she was cut off by him.

"I've been thinking about something…" He looked down at his cuffed hands and interlaced his fingers, placing them on the table and leaned in closer. Harley could feel her heart pounding in her chest.

"Uh-huh," she said. "About what?"

He looked up. His eyes found hers. He held the gaze for a few seconds. "Your name."

 _My name?_

"My name?" she voiced the question out loud with a quizzical look.

"Mm-hmm. It's pretty and all as it is, but… I had an _alteration_ in mind." Her heart kept on pounding. _Where is he going with this?_

"Okay," she let out. "And, uh… what would that alteration be?"

"Your friends call you Harley, right? At least that's what I hear."

"Yes," she confirmed, wondering who he'd heard it from. He shrugged.

"Well, if you'd stick with the name Harley and then change your last name to Quinn…" He trailed off and then stared at her, making her figure the rest out. He knew she was smart. At least, she certainly wasn't stupid, given the right kind of encouraging.

"Harley Quinn…" she mused, "Harlequin?" she asked and the corners of his mouth twitched upwards as confirmation.

"Now you got it."

She had never thought of it before. But then again, clowns had never really interested her that much. In fact, as a child, she'd been pretty scared of clowns. It was after she'd seen a bunch of them up close at the circus as a four-year-old that the fear had taken root in her. Now she was okay with them, though, but she was still not a fan. But when she saw the Joker, she didn't see a clown. Frankly, she didn't know quite yet _what_ she saw when she looked at him. There was so much to unravel. So much to find out. Harley looked at him with a tilted head, eyes absentmindedly wandering down to the scars. "See anything you like?" His voice startled her slightly and she stopped being lost in thought. She looked back into his dark eyes.

"I'm sorry, what?" she asked without raising her eyebrows, adjusting her glasses whilst pushing her hair behind her ear in an innocent, timid way.

"You were looking at my scars, weren't you, doc?" he said with a smirk. She figured there was no use in denying it. He was more than capable of telling when someone was lying to him. Her gaze turned downward and she felt a slight pang of guilt.

"Yes, I'm sorry. That was impolite." She looked back up from behind her spectacles, a little bit scared of what he'd do. His answer surprised her.

"Oh, there's no need to apologize." Reassured by his words, she dared to raise her head up fully again. Knowing she was listening, he went on. "I bet you were wondering what I'd look like without 'em. Hmm? 'Cause I didn't always look like this, you know," he added and gestured to his face. Harley immediately shook her head in response.

"Of course not," she said and then paused before approaching the subject carefully. "We, uh… We've never really discussed how you came to have them. Would you like to tell me?"

She could tell by the look on his face that she had crossed a line here. But it wasn't like his expression intimidated her. He didn't seem offended by it, but rather intrigued by her curiousness. He remained calm as he answered her. "Wouldn't you rather keep on guessing?" he questioned. "Where's the fun in knowing everything? Giving away all the secrets and details? 'Cause if you don't, it's a hell of a lot easier to make a name for yourself. You can choose to be whoever you want." He was right in that. Without the details and facts, there were endless possibilities. Literally anything could have happened to make him this way and even though she really wanted to know what exactly had happened, she had a hunch he would never give that away. He didn't want her to know about his former life. He didn't want her to see him as anyone else but who he was here and now.

"I think you have a point," she said after a while. "But it's still not an excuse for committing crimes." He frowned. That wasn't something he wanted to hear and she instantly regretted having said it. "I guess you could say that what's normal to the spider is chaos to the fly." She shrugged. "And if I'm not wrong, chaos is kind of your thing. It's simply what you do. It's in your nature." He didn't say a word, so she went on. "So… I might not be able to _change_ you, but I will still try to help you the best I can."

They didn't have anything more to say to each other after that. Harley was starting to think that he truly was a lost cause. The medication he'd been given didn't seem to be working and he wouldn't let go of his views regarding the world. To him, there was no meaning in life. It was all just a big joke. And somehow, Harley was starting to believe that her whole life had been just that. What if she had wasted her time being a miss goody two shoes? What if she had missed out on all the fun life had to offer? _No,_ she told herself. _I've spent my time well. I've had a good life._ But what of her life _to come?_ Would she be stuck in this nuthouse for the next thirty years? Every day she met with murderers and psychos and what did she gain from that? She stopped herself right there. _That's it. I'm getting a hobby._

* * *

 **A/N: Boy, did I work fast on this chapter! Actually, I don't come up with everything all at once. I started writing this fic about a year ago. You know, some bits here and there, so it feels good to know where I'm going with this and I also think it's good that I'm able to change/alter things I wrote a year ago to make it better, since I've improved since then. Things are heating up now and I am very excited to give you the next chapter! It's going to be one of my personal favourites I think. :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

 _She found herself back in the examination room with him and today, he had decided not to work with her. It gave her a slight headache. She buried her face in her left hand and let her fingers massage her forehead. She sighed. "You're not helping me out here." She raised her head, but kept her hand in the air. "Why can't you just…" She trailed off, spotting something on the tip of her fingers. Her eyes narrowed. It looked like her fingers had been stained with white paint._

" _Something wrong there, uh, doc?" he asked and leaned in across the table in curiosity. She didn't answer, but simply brought the hand back to her forehead and rubbed it with her fingers. She looked back down at them and they were even whiter. She repeated the movement with her right hand and the same thing happened. Her heart started beating faster and her breathing became more fast-paced and shallow. "Let ol' uncle J take a look at that," he said and she looked up, but was only met by her own face, looking back at her through a mirror. She was horrified by the sight. Her whole face was painted white and there were black circles framing her eyes. But worst of all was the blood red smile drawn across her lips, matching his scars. And then he came creeping from the shadows and she saw his reflection right behind her. He placed his hand on her shoulder. "Now you can see yourself the way I see you… my little harlequin."_

Harley jerked awake in her bed and shot straight up into a sitting position. The cold sweat was covering her face and her back. She had to look around to make sure she was safe at home. Once that was confirmed, she got out of bed and headed into the kitchen to drink a glass of cold water. _Thank God it was only a dream,_ she thought and calmed down when the icy water slid down her throat. It was soothing and she felt like she could breathe again. But would she be able to sleep again? If only there was someone she could call. She really needed someone to talk to. But she was sure that all she'd get for calling someone in the middle of the night was a proper scolding.

* * *

She looked down at all the files in front of her on the desk. They all belonged to her patients. But her eyes kept coming back to one in particular. She told herself that now was not the time. She didn't even have a session with him today. "Dr. Quinzel?" Her head shot up, startled by the voice. It was Dr. Arkham. She hadn't noticed him coming into her office.

"Dr. Arkham," she said and cleared her throat. "Hi." There was a look of concern displayed on his face.

"Dr. Quinzel, are you all right?" The tone of his voice matched the look on his face.

"Yes," she said as if it were obvious. "I'm completely fine. I just," she shrugged, "didn't get a very good night's sleep is all." _Please tell me he bought it._ He didn't look very convinced, but he wouldn't dwell on it.

"Well, then I suggest you catch up on that sleep this weekend, because I need you to be here early on Monday morning. I've rescheduled one of your sessions." Now _that_ was interesting.

"Oh, okay. Whose session?" she asked.

"The Joker's," he stated, keeping a straight face. Harley was all ears. "I know you're set to have the session at ten, but I moved it up to 8:00 AM instead." Harley didn't have a problem with it, but she would sure like to know why. As if he could read her mind, Dr. Arkham went on. "I suppose you'd like to know why I've rescheduled the session."

"Do tell." He drew in a breath and sighed heavily.

"I've told all the doctors to come here at 7:30 Monday morning to observe your session. We will be livestreaming it in the conference room just like the first time. That's why we're having it at 8:00 AM so that no doctors will have to uphold or reschedule _their_ sessions." Harley nodded slowly, taking in the information.

"Okay, but why do you need to observe?"

"In all honesty, Dr. Quinzel…" He locked his eyes with hers and in an instant, she understood how serious this was. "We're worried about you."

 _Worried about me?_ "What, worried that I'm not doing my job right?" she questioned.

"No, of course not," Dr. Arkham quickly reassured. "We're worried because, well… You're the only doctor who's been with him for this long and we just want to make sure that he's not trying to pull any mind tricks on you." _Oh, so_ that's _what they're worried about._ Her head sank and she nodded slowly again. "And also because we would like to know how it is that you've lasted so long," he added quickly as to not let her think that she wasn't good enough for the job. "You must be doing _something_ right." He gave her a little smile which she reciprocated.

"All right. I'll be here at 7:30 then."

During the afternoon when she was sitting at her desk, her cell phone started ringing. She picked it up in her hand and looked at the display. _Cassidy._ They hadn't spoken since Monday and right now, Harley was in no mood to talk to her. Besides, she was working. _Working with what? All you do is stare at his file. Stop making excuses!_ Sometimes she just wished that the voice in her head would shut up. Before she was able to answer the call though, her phone stopped ringing, but she had received a voicemail. She brought the phone to her ear and listened.

" _Hey, Harls. Um, I understand if you're busy right now. I just wanted to call and say that… I'm sorry. I'm sorry for my behaviour during our lunch together. It's just that… I'm worried about you, is all. And I want you to know that I'm not angry with you and I hope you're not angry with me either. You don't have to call me back, but I hope we can talk soon. Bye."_

Harley put the phone down and buried her face in her hands. _Why is everybody worried about me? I'm fine!_ She looked at her watch. 4:00 PM. Time to go home. _Thank God._

She didn't call Cassidy back. Not all weekend. Harley stayed in her apartment only to go out for a short walk every now and then in hopes of clearing her head and get her mind off of things. But that was easier said than done.

* * *

Finally, Monday arrived. She woke up sometime after five, not being able to go back to sleep. She put on some extra makeup to (hopefully) cover up the traces of sleeplessness on her face. When she looked in the mirror she figured it would do. She only hoped that the others wouldn't notice anything.

She came to the asylum on time and headed to the conference room to meet up with all her colleagues. When she walked in, everyone else was already there, sitting down by the long table. Their heads turned and the looks she was met by were all but encouraging, except for Joan's, who gave her a small smile. Joan had saved Harley an empty seat next to her. Harley sat down. "Well, now that we're all gathered," Dr. Arkham said at the head of the table, "I'd like to say a couple of words." His gaze fell on Harley and the others followed suit. She shifted in her seat. It was uncomfortable to say the least, but she tried to ignore the others and just pay attention to Dr. Arkham.

"Dr. Quinzel, you should know that we're all very pleased to have you here at Arkham. We couldn't have asked for anyone better and you have proved that." She wondered whether he was telling the truth or not, given the fact that she felt the complete opposite when faced by the other doctors. "No one else in this room was able to get through to the Joker. It takes a lot of guts and you've showed us that you should not be underestimated. Yet…" He paused. "We feel as if there's been a change in you and we're not saying that it's because of him, it might be something else entirely. You just seem a little closed off these days. If there is anything you'd like to talk about, you know that we're here for you." Harley gave him a small smile.

"Thank you," she said. "I appreciate it."

"Yes," he said after a moment, having expected her to say something more. "Well, if you're ready, you can head down to the examination room. We're all very curious to see how you handle things."

"Thank you," she said again and got to her feet.

Never in her entire life had she experienced something like that before. When she got out of the room, she could breathe again. She hated having all eyes on her like that. And all that talk about her well-being? What was so different about her that everybody picked up on but not her? _"Closed off" my ass,_ she thought. _There's nothing wrong with me._

Without stopping outside, she opened the door and took her seat again, facing him. "Good morning, Mr. J. How are you?" He sighed heavily.

"Well, to tell you the truth; I'm not a morning person."

"Well, me neither, so perhaps we could try to cheer each other up?" she suggested. He didn't answer to that, but gave her a question of his own.

"Why are we here?" She blinked a couple of times, but didn't make a face. _He knows._

"We're having our session," she said.

"Yes, but why _now?_ Hmm? If I'm not wrong, session time Monday mornings are at 10:00 AM." _Okay, Harley, time to use that brain of yours. Make up an excuse!_

"Yes, well, we had to reschedule," she started, making things up as she went. "The patient I was supposed to have a session with now has a dentist appointment, so we just switched their time with yours." _Good one, Harley. You didn't even hesitate._ But even though she thought she would have been able to convince _anyone_ with that lie, he was the one exception.

"You're lying." There was a pause again and she tried to remain calm.

"Why would you assume I'm lying?" He rolled his eyes and grunted, tired of her trying to hide it.

"You know doc, I thought this time around you would've learned that I'm not buying any kind of B.S." His voice was getting a little aggressive. She couldn't deny that she was slightly intimidated by it. She didn't want things to get out of hand.

"All right," she said, "the truth is that the other doctors want to know my methods to better understand how it is that after all this time you haven't tried to kill me." She finished with a fake smile. He seemed pleased.

"So we're being watched, huh? All of a sudden, we need chaperones?" His eyebrows shot up in that suggestive way again. _Please do anything but that,_ she thought. It did not look good on camera. "But there's more to it, isn't there?" he asked. "They're worried about your mental health. Afraid that I'm rubbing off on you." Once the words had escaped his mouth, realization sunk in. That's exactly what they thought, but didn't dare say. "Sweetheart, the only reason you've lasted this long… is because I _wanted_ you to."

It was as if her heart stopped. _What did he just say?_ "No," she breathed. She refused to believe it.

"Yes," he said.

"No!"

" _Yes!_ " He gritted his teeth. She started to feel like when she had awoken from that nightmare. This was not happening.

"Why?" she questioned. "Why did you want me to last this long?" She raised her voice, demanding an answer.

"Because, _Harley…_ " He smirked. "You're just too much fun." She didn't get the chance to say anything else before none other than Dr. Arkham barged through the door. He wasn't looking too happy.

"Dr. Quinzel, a word please." He spared the Joker only one glance.

"Can't you see we're in the middle of something here?" he asked. "What gives you the right to barge in like that?"

"Your session is over." Dr. Arkham turned around to face an orderly; Mr. Hartley, to be exact. "Take him to his cell." Hartley pushed through and grabbed the Joker while Harley was still in her seat, watching.

"Well then, I guess we'll have to catch up next time," the Joker said and started giggling. Hartley pushed him forward and they left the examination room.

The silence was unbearable. Harley didn't dare look up, feeling Dr. Arkham's gaze burning a hole in her. "Since when did he start calling you Harley?" Now she had to look up.

"Never," she answered truthfully. Or well, _almost_ anyway. "That's the first time he's called me that." Dr. Arkham sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Dr. Quinzel, things are getting out of hand here. Listen, why don't you take the rest of the day off?" She was about to object, but he stopped her. "No, I don't want to hear it! I know you're exhausted, anyone can tell. Just go home and rest. _Please._ " There was that tone again. The _concerned_ one. He was actually pleading her to go home and rest. Perhaps he was right? She wasn't sure if she'd be able to meet with anyone else today.

"Okay," she said. "I will."

* * *

 **A/N: Whoop whoop for a longer chapter! I really hope you liked this one! Is Harley actually starting to go insane? Stay tuned to find out. ;)**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Once she got home after Dr. Arkham had told her to take the day off, Harley collapsed onto her bed and fell asleep much quicker than she'd hoped. For that she was thankful. She only got up once sometime in the evening to get something to eat. Then she went straight back to bed and woke up well rested the next morning. She showered, got dressed, had her breakfast and drove to work.

As she walked down the halls of the asylum, everyone she met stared at her. Their looks were sympathetic. It didn't exactly make her feel better, if that's what they thought. When she got to her office, she had a visitor waiting outside by her door. _Patrick_. He smiled when she approached him and she tried her best to smile back, but all she could manage was a simple wave of the hand. She came up to stand next to him outside her door. "Hi, Harley," he said.

"Hi, Patrick." He had obviously come to her office for one reason: to _talk_ to her. _Well, whatever it is he wants to talk about, spill it out already._ He didn't. Or, he was _trying_ to. His mouth opened and closed several times, unsure of what exactly to say. She made it easier for him. "Look, Patrick, whatever it is you want to say, you can always come by later. I don't have time to stand here all day." She swung the door open and walked in, plopping down on her chair behind the desk. He followed her inside.

"I'm sorry, Harley. I just…" Her eyes wandered up to his and he recognized the look she gave him as an impatient one. He swallowed. "I just want to make sure you're okay. Are you okay?" She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to prevent herself from lashing out.

"Why does everyone keep asking me that?" she said, not looking at him.

"Because we care about you."

She slowly lifted her head back up again. For what seemed like the hundredth time, she was met by yet another look of concern. His next words came as a bit of a surprise. "Look, you know why I'm really here. I stop by at your office more times than you know, just so I can say hello or simply just _look_ at you, or ask you out again. But I understand that now is not a good time for that, so…" He shrugged. "I'm not going to say anything. You just know that you can always come talk to me. I'll always be there for you." And with that, he left. For once, he would actually back off. As of now though, she couldn't decide whether that was a good thing or a bad thing. Maybe what she really needed was to talk to someone? There was only one person that came to her mind.

She took out her phone and dialed Cassidy. They hadn't spoken in over a week now and Harley actually felt bad for not having called her friend sooner. She was happy to hear Cassidy's voice when she answered and she sounded happy too.

" _Harley! Hi! I'm so glad you're calling me! How are you?"_ Harley smiled to herself.

"I'm fine," she said, telling herself things were actually getting better. "How are you?"

" _I'm good. Just a little busy right now at work, but I simply had to answer my best friend's call!"_

 _Best friend._

Harley didn't know when Cassidy had last called her that. It was comforting to hear. "Hope you're not _too_ busy," Harley said. "What are you doing tonight?"

" _Nothing much. Why?"_

"I was thinking maybe we should have a girls' night. Go to a bar and have a drink."

" _Whenever you say that, what you really mean is like half a dozen drinks!"_ Cassidy giggled. _"I'm on it! The usual place?"_

"Right. Nine o'clock?"

" _See you then."_ They both hung up and Harley felt more satisfied than ever. Sure, it might not have been such a good idea to go out and have drinks on a Tuesday night, but frankly, she couldn't have cared less. She needed this.

* * *

The bar was located in midtown. It was one of the smaller places which was a little bit more sophisticated. It wasn't meant for a younger audience, like so many other nightclubs were. But there was till music playing and there was the option of playing pool or darts. Harley had put on a red dress tonight and it made her feel more confident. After all, red was her favourite colour. She met up with Cassidy outside and they headed straight for the bar, sitting down on two stools. Then, the drinking could commence.

"I'm so glad you decided to take me out tonight," Cassidy said and drained the contents of her glass in one go. Harley giggled.

"Why? Because I offered to buy you the first drink?"

"Well, _that_ and… because I think you need to relax for a while." She put a hand on Harley's shoulder. "You deserve it."

"Thanks."

"Hey!" Cassidy called the bartender. "I need a refill!" She gave him her glass and Harley couldn't stop laughing at her friend. Then her eyes caught a couple of guys sitting at a booth together. They were watching them. Harley stopped laughing and her smile faded. She looked away and tried to pretend as if she hadn't seen them. She leaned in closer to Cassidy.

"Those guys in the booth over there are watching us," she said quietly and discretely nodded to them. Cassidy threw a swift glance in their direction and it seemed as if they were interested in more than just watching.

"Uh-oh," Cassidy said. "I think they're coming this way."

"Well, let's move then." Harley was about to get up from her stool, but it was too late. They were already there and they walked to stand on either side of them.

"Hey ladies," the one standing next to Harley said. She looked up at his face and she could tell that he was handsome. Quite tall, brown ruffled hair and blue piercing eyes. You could smell trouble on him. "Would you care to dance?"

"Uh…" Harley looked over to the other guy standing next to Cassidy. He was blonde and had tattoos all over his arms. She looked back to the man in front of her. "Sorry, but this is a girls' night," she glanced at Cassidy, "so thanks, but –"

"Actually…" Cassidy interrupted, "I would very much like to dance." She looked up at the brown haired guy and smiled. There was a glint in her eyes. Harley whipped her head around, giving her friend a condescending look. _Really?_ Cassidy could read Harley's mind. "Please," she pleaded and how could she say no to those eyes? Harley rolled hers back into her head and sighed.

"Okay, fine." Cassidy jumped up from her stool, giddy with joy.

"Thanks," she said and she grabbed the man's hand, pulling him over to the dance floor.

Harley watched them and now that the seat next to her was vacant, the tattooed guy sat down next to her. "Maybe you don't want to dance, but will you let me buy you a drink?"

"Thanks, but no thanks," she politely declined. Lucky for him, he didn't push it.

"Okay then, well, let me at least introduce myself." He extended his hand. "I'm Matthew." She figured it couldn't hurt and took his hand in hers.

"Harleen." He furrowed his eyebrows.

"That's an unusual name. But pretty," he quickly added. "So, Harleen, what is it you do?"

"I'm a clinical psychiatrist," she answered bluntly. "You?" she raised her eyebrows.

"Wow," he said and raised his own. "That's some real shit. I thought you were –"

"A _what?_ " she dared him to say it. He seemed a little scared. _Good._

"You know," he shrugged, "I just thought… The way you look, I thought you'd be a _model_ or something." _Well, of course you would._ She smirked.

"Look, _Matthew,_ why don't you go waste your time on somebody else?" She was coming off a little rude, but she just wanted this guy out of her sight. She could see his eyes were becoming darker in a matter of seconds.

"Hey, I didn't mean no harm! Maybe I should teach you a lesson?" He got up from his seat and raised his fist.

A few weeks ago, she would have been scared. But now she just thought it was pathetic. She couldn't help but laugh to herself at the sight. "What's so funny?" he asked and lowered his fist a little.

"What's so funny is that you think you're scary. But you see…" She leaned in a little closer to his face. "I've _seen_ scary and you ain't got his smile." Suddenly it dawned on him. His expression softened and he dropped his fist.

"That's where I knew you from!" he said. "You're that chick who treats the Joker!"

"Mm-hmm," she nodded. "So keep telling yourself that you're intimidating and maybe, _just maybe_ , someday I won't be laughing at you." She got up from her seat and was about to walk over to Cassidy, but Matthew grabbed her wrist and when she turned around, he had raised his fist again.

"Hey, no one talks to me that way, _bitch!_ " Before he could throw his punch though, Harley had already beat him to it. Her fist connected with his jaw and he stumbled backwards. A lot of people stopped what they were doing and watched in shock. The bartender noticed.

"Hey, lady, if you can't behave I'm gonna call the cops!" he threatened.

"That's fine," she said and walked over to Cassidy, grabbing her arm. "I'm leaving."

She dragged Cassidy with her outside and was about to go further down the street, but Cassidy wriggled free of Harley's grip and they both stopped. "Hey, what was _that_ all about?" Cassidy asked. Harley shrugged.

"He was drunk, wouldn't leave me alone, so I punched him." She made no big deal out of it.

"Wow, I'm sorry," Cassidy said. "But if you don't mind, I'm going back inside. I'm having a good time and that guy, Conner is his name, is a real catch!" Harley couldn't believe what she was hearing. This was supposed to be _their_ night and now Cassidy was bailing on her for some drunk fuckboy?! Harley was in no mood for arguing, so before she opened her mouth to do so, she stopped herself. She shook her head.

"All right, you have fun. I'm going home." Harley turned her back on Cassidy and headed for the nearest subway station. Cassidy didn't say a word. _Some girls' night._

* * *

 **A/N: Yes, I did just use the word "fuckboy." I couldn't come up with anything better, I'm so sorry. XD This chapter was initially intended to be something else entirely from what it turned out. It ended up being more of a "filler" chapter, so I will save what I had in mind for the next one. ;) But I'm actually happy that I got to write this, because we're exploring more of Harley's character. And also, yes, I stole one line from the comics! See it as a little easter egg! I just love that line so much ("I've seen scary and you ain't got his smile.") and there was just no way for me to rewrite it in any way to make it seem original. I will be dropping some easter eggs and make references to the source material more times, because I just think that Harley and Joker's story is so well written! So some things just have to be included, but I hope I'm still able to keep things original. :)**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

The next day, Harley had no idea what was going on, but it seemed to her as if everyone tried to avoid her. When she walked by doctors, nurses and even _orderlies_ they all turned their gazes away from her and didn't say a word. No one came to talk to her in her office. Not even Patrick. Not even Joan. _Well, at least I know one person who likes to talk to me,_ she comforted herself, knowing that tomorrow she would get to meet the Joker again. Even if their last session had proven to be futile and even if she had been a little mad at him for what he had said, she still wanted to see him again.

Thursday arrived and it was close to 3:00 PM. Harley had been in her office since two o'clock, trying her best to pass the time. When it was ten minutes to go, she walked out of the office, but was immediately stopped by Dr. Arkham. "Dr. Quinzel, a word please," he said. _Uh-oh. This can't be good._ She sighed and crossed her arms over her chest, leaning on her right leg.

"Okay, what is it?"

"I'm afraid you're not going in there," he said and she knew he meant the examination room. Now she _knew_ something wasn't right.

"Why? Is there something wrong?" Dr. Arkham drew in a breath and then looked directly at her.

"You're off the case."

The words echoed inside her head. Had she heard right? "Excuse me?" she got out of herself.

"You're _off the case_ ," he said again, as clear as day. Her jaw dropped. This was not happening.

" _What?_ You can't do that!" _Of course he can, Harley. He's your boss._

"I'm your boss. If I tell you you're off the case, then you're _off_ the _case_!" His voice grew slightly louder at the end, emphasizing his seriousness.

"May I ask why?" She needed him to have a reason.

"He's growing attached to you." _Isn't that a good thing? That he likes me?_

"Is that a bad thing?" Harley countered.

"Yes, it is. It's like he's growing an obsession and that could cost you dearly in the end." Harley shook her head at him, not believing a word. She was the first doctor the Joker had took a liking to. Isn't that what Dr. Arkham had wanted? It seemed he had changed his mind.

"So are you saying he won't be having any more sessions?" He shook his head.

"Oh no. I brought in a new doctor from Metropolis. She will take over from now on." _A new doctor? I'm being replaced?_ Thankfully she didn't voice that thought out loud. It would have made her sound jealous.

"I thought you had already concluded that he won't speak to anyone else but me!"

"We'll see. We will be watching the session as usual from the conference room. You're very welcome to join us." His invitation sounded more like a challenge. When she looked into his eyes, it was as if he dared her to come and watch.

"Oh, there's nowhere else I'd rather be."

She followed him to the conference room where a lot of the other doctors were already seated by the table, facing the TV-screen. Harley sat down next to Joan. Everyone could tell that she was feeling less than content. Dr. Arkham took his seat at the very front and turned the TV on. Harley's heart skipped a beat when she saw him. He was sitting down as usual, playing with his fingers. He was alone – her seat empty. _I should be there._ Harley looked down at her watch. 2:59. Still one minute left. She kept looking down at it, making sure that the timing was perfect. About twenty seconds after the clock had struck three, the door to the examination room opened and a woman walked in. _Well,_ Harley thought. _Could have been more punctual._ She couldn't even deny it to herself – she _was_ jealous.

This doctor was a dark haired woman in her forties. Quite tall, even though she was only wearing flats and not heels. The Joker stared at her from his seat, following her every move. He didn't say a word. The woman sat down by the table. "Hello. My name is Dr. Wilson." That was the introduction. Now it was the Joker's time to speak. He looked down at the table and wasn't looking too happy. _This will be interesting._

"Wheeere…" he drawled, licking his lips, "is Dr. Quinzel?" He then looked up, his gaze boring into the body of Dr. Wilson. He had never looked at Harley that way. That thought was very satisfying. Dr. Wilson continued.

"Let's talk about your sleeping habits. How many hours of sleep would you say you get each night?" _She ignored his question. First mistake. He does not like that._ Her thoughts were confirmed when the Joker raised his eyebrows as if asking: _really?_ In turn, he ignored _her_ question and repeated his own.

"Where is Dr. Quinzel?" he practically growled. It seemed that that was what it took for her to play along.

"Dr. Quinzel is no longer in charge of your therapy. I'll be taking it from here."

The Joker licked his lips again slowly, not letting his gaze drop from Dr. Wilson.

"So that's it, huh? Back to square one?"

"More or less. Now, if you could answer my first question –"

"Aren't you gonna ask me how I feel?" he interrupted. There was a pause and Harley suspected that Dr. Wilson wasn't catching on. "That's what Dr. Quinzel always does," the Joker explained. Harley couldn't help the little smile coming to her lips. Dr. Wilson reluctantly played along.

"Fine. How are you feeling?"

"Uh… Not so well, actually."

"No? Why is that?" _Because his therapist was replaced, that's why._

"Oh, you know, just… worried about family, that's all."

"Family?" Dr. Leland whispered from behind Harley. She had to admit, she was also surprised.

"You have a family?" Dr. Wilson asked, the surprise evident in her voice, even though she tried to hide it. _Not very professional._

"Oh, yeah," the Joker nodded. "I have a daughter. She should be nine years old by now. I _constantly_ worry. I don't know what I'd do if something was to… _happen_ to her." His intense gaze suggested something, but Harley couldn't exactly tell what. It sounded like an indirect threat.

"He never said anything about a family before," Dr. Arkham said, looking at Harley for confirmation.

"That's because he's lying," she answered. _I think. He would have told me, right? Although, come to think of it, I've never asked him._

"And does this daughter of yours have a name?" Dr. Wilson asked.

"Oh, yeah. Her name's Lucy. Looks just like her mother. And she wants to _be_ like her mother when she grows up. She wants to be a _doctor_. That's what she promised herself after the divorce. She was _devastated_ , really. She said she wanted to be _just_ like her mom. She didn't want to end up like her dad, oh no. She didn't want to become a, uh… _drunk._ "

Even in the conference room, the silence was penetrating. After what seemed like minutes, Dr. Wilson spoke again, her voice unsteady. "How do you know about this?" she asked.

"Did I say something wrong?" he asked, playing innocent. "I thought we were talking about my daughter." And then he erupted into a fit of giggles, which slowly elaborated into howling laughter. There was an orderly in the conference room with them and Dr. Arkham ordered him to go down and take the Joker to his cell. They all watched with widened eyes as Dr. Wilson stalked out of there and it wasn't long until the door swung open to the conference room and she walked in. She looked rather grim.

"I'm sorry, Dr. Arkham, but I cannot do this. Good luck finding someone new." And with that, she turned on her heel and left. Dr. Arkham chased after her, probably to apologize.

If Harley wasn't wrong, the Joker had just indirectly threatened Dr. Wilson's family. And Harley was just as surprised as everyone else at how he could possibly know about it all. Dr. Arkham came back, head hanging low and he massaged his temples. When he looked up again, all the gathered doctors were staring at him, waiting for their boss to say something. But Harley was the one to break the ice. "So… Does that mean I'm back on the case?" she asked hopefully. _Surely he must come to reason._ But her hopes were quickly crushed.

"Oh no," Dr. Arkham shook his head. "I'll find someone new." All the doctors looked back and forth between Dr. Arkham and Harley as the two spoke.

"But you saw what he just did in there!" she said and gestured to the TV screen. "He made it pretty clear that he won't settle for anyone else but me! And even if you find someone new, maybe next time…" She paused and her voice grew quieter, almost becoming a whisper. "He might do something worse."

There was a quiet moment again. Dr. Arkham and Harley might as well have been the only two in the room. Dr. Arkham looked as if he was trying to keep himself from breathing fire. His eyes bore into hers and he spoke in a threatening way. "Dr. Quinzel, the Joker is no longer any of your business and if you have a problem with that, then you can pack your belongings and leave this facility for good." He turned on his heel once again and stormed out of the room, leaving everyone in silence. People got up to leave and when Joan got up from her seat, Harley grabbed her arm. Joan looked down at her.

"Did you know?" Harley whispered. Joan sighed, looking remorseful. She nodded.

"Yes. We all did. I'm sorry Harley, we were told not to tell you." Harley's grip on Joan's arm tightened a bit just before she released it and Joan left with the others. Harley remained seated for a while, taking it all in. Her supposed best friend had chosen a creep over her. Her other closest thing to a best friend had chosen to follow orders over her. It hurt to feel this uncared for. There was one person though who apparently chose her over everything and everyone else. That one person also happened to be a coldblooded, psychopathic murderer, so the thought shouldn't be so comforting. But Harley couldn't help it. The Joker was beginning to seem like her only true friend.

* * *

 **A/N: I really wanted to include what's coming next into this chapter, but it would have been far too long so it'll have to wait. But the wait won't be too long, I promise! I really want to thank you all for following this story, I never thought so many would enjoy it! I would just like to add once again that if there is anything I can improve, please let me know! Also, I love to hear your thoughts on the story overall, if you like where it's headed or if you don't, so if you want to leave a review, I'd be happy to read it! :)**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Of course, Harley had no choice but to do as she'd been told. She knew she was close to losing her job and if she did, chances were she would never come back again. And that meant she would never meet the Joker again. Probably. She just had to deal with all the boring, long days that lay ahead of her. Patient therapy went on as usual, but her sessions with the less dangerous inmates were, just that: _less_ _dangerous_. She supposed she should be thankful for that, but she missed the thrill of seeing him. Now, there was nothing to look forward to anymore.

Dr. Arkham hand been able to find a new recruit who was willing to take on the Joker's case over the weekend. Even from the beginning, no one was really _eager_ to take on the case, which was understandable. This new doctor was named Ethan Baker, from Central City this time. Of course, Harley was still jealous, but at least _this_ one made a good first impression on her. He seemed like a nice man. Maybe _too_ nice to be facing the likes of the Joker. Harley couldn't help but feel worried when they all sat down in the conference room once again on Tuesday morning to witness Dr. Baker's first session with the Joker.

"Good morning," Dr. Baker said, attempting a small smile to appear friendly. If the Joker looked disgruntled the last time, that was nothing compared to the face he was giving Dr. Baker now. The Joker rolled his eyes and leaned back in his chair, apparently not amused.

"So, how much did he pay you in advance?" the Joker asked.

"Who?" Dr. Baker questioned. A smirk appeared on the Joker's lips. Harley knew what _that_ meant – he had found someone to play with. The Joker leaned forward and propped his elbows on the table.

"Why, dear ol' Dr. Arkham, of course!" he said and turned his head for a couple of seconds to look into the camera on the wall. He knew they were watching. "Or are you telling me you volunteered for the job?" he inquired, looking back at Dr. Baker. "Perhaps there's a whole line of other shrinks just waiting to have a go at me? Hmm?" He raised his eyebrows and pursed his lips, waiting for an answer. Dr. Baker remained his calm and polite nature.

"I'm not here to discuss the circumstances of my being here. That is of no importance. You just know that I'm here simply to help you." Harley cringed involuntarily. She knew the Joker hated to hear that.

"Perhaps they didn't tell you about the last shrink they sent me?" There was a slight pause, but Dr. Baker resumed the dialogue, albeit a little hesitatingly.

"That – that doesn't matter to me." His voice seemed almost childlike. Harley got her fears confirmed. This guy was obviously not capable of handling the Joker. The Joker looked around the room, as if to check no one was in sight, when he very well knew he was being watched from another part of the asylum. He leaned in even closer over the table.

"Wanna know a secret?" he asked Dr. Baker. Foolish as he was, he leaned in ever so slightly. _This is not going to end well._ "She would have stood a better chance against me."

In the blink of an eye, the Joker had closed his hands around Dr. Baker's throat, despite the cuffs restraining him. They could hear Dr. Baker choking. "We have to do something!" Joan exclaimed. For the first time, Dr. Arkham actually looked clueless. One of the orderlies were present in the conference room and he was waiting for orders.

"Get down there and take him to his cell!" Dr. Arkham finally blurted out and the orderly was about to leave when the Joker suddenly spoke up and all eyes turned to face the TV screen again. During those few seconds, the Joker had managed to twist Dr. Baker around and they were both standing up now. The Joker was slowly choking the life out of his prey with his right arm around Dr. Baker's neck.

"You don't get how this game works, do you?" he spoke, looking into the camera once more. "This game _has._ _No._ _Rules_. You can play it how you want. _So_ … you can either choose to send Dr. Quinzel to me _or_ watch lil' Dr. Bakey here get his neck twisted. The choice is _yours._ "

 _He wants me to come_. There was no other choice. Harley headed for the door, but Dr. Arkham stopped her. "Stop! You're _not_ going in there!" Dr. Strange made it before Harley.

"So you'd rather have Dr. Baker die?"

"Of course not!" Dr. Arkham defended himself. "But we shouldn't do what he wants. There's gotta be another way."

"Don't you get it?" Harley said and everyone turned to look at her. "The fact that there are no rules means that we're playing by _his_ rules. This is _his_ game. Only _he_ can win and he knows it. I'm _not_ going to let that man die on my behalf!" The Joker's loud and impatient sigh was heard through the screen.

"Ugh, you know, I _really_ don't like to be kept waiting. _Last_ chance: if Dr. Quinzel isn't here in _two minutes_ , then this is the last you'll see of Mr. Nice guy." Harley didn't waste one second, but ran out of the door and headed for the examination room.

Once she reached it, she fiddled for her access card and then unlocked the door. She froze at the sight in front of her, her eyes fixed on Dr. Baker who had gone pale. "Ah, there you are!" the Joker said. "Just in the nick of time." He let go of Dr. Baker, who collapsed onto the floor and gasped for air, coughing violently. Now she could see the Joker's full body. He was tall. _Very_ tall compared to her. She was only 5'3 and even in heels, she would bet that she only reached up to his shoulders. She had never felt this inferior in her entire life. The Joker held out his tied hands. "Care to help me a little, here?" Harley shook her head slowly.

"Why would I?" The Joker rolled his eyes again and bent down to Dr. Baker's level.

"And here I thought you'd learned the very principle of this game." He went for another choke hold, but Harley stopped him.

" _No, wait!_ " The Joker stopped in his tracks and looked expectantly at her. "Let me just get the key," she said and as if on cue, when she opened the door again, she was met by the orderly who had followed her from the conference room.

"Are things all right in there?" he asked.

"Let's hope they will be if you give me the key to his handcuffs." Harley held out her hand. She was stressed more than anything else. The orderly hesitated and the stress really got to her now. " _God damn it, just give me the fucking key! There's a life at stake here!_ " He dug his hand into his pocket and grabbed the keychain which held the key to the handcuffs. She snatched it from his grip and returned to the room.

"I got the key," she said and the Joker stood up again and held his hands out. Harley didn't want to look at his face, but she could feel his stare upon her as she desperately tried to get the key into the locks with her shaking hands. There was a click and the right cuff was off, then she proceeded to the left one and with another click, the cuffs dropped to the floor with a loud clatter.

"Now that's much better," the Joker said and Harley was surprised when he grabbed her by the hand. She froze, feeling his touch run through her entire body like electricity. Her heartrate increased. Now she was forced to look into his face. "Much obliged," was all he said and the next she knew, he had got hold of the key in her hand.

"Wait, what are you doing?" she asked as he returned to Dr. Baker who was still trying to catch his breath. The Joker bent down over his face and now Harley understood what he was about to do.

" _NO!_ " It was too late. In one swift movement, he had cut Dr. Baker along the throat.

Harley watched as the blood started making its way out of his throat. She acted upon impulse and rushed over to kneel down next to him and place her hands over the wound. He was gurgling blood and it came from out of his mouth, rolling down his chin. The tears began falling down her face as she looked down at Dr. Baker's clear blue eyes. The light in them was quickly leaving. She kept her pressure on the wound, but it didn't help the blood from trickling underneath her hands and down onto the floor. The red liquid was warm and sticky and the metallic scent was almost unbearable. That pulse which had been vaguely throbbing underneath her touch was now gone. She looked at his eyes again. His lifeless stare would certainly haunt her for the rest of her life.

She sobbed as she realized what had just happened. A man had died right in front of her eyes and all her attempts to prevent it had been so meagre. She had _let_ this happen. She hadn't even tried to fight the Joker when he took the key from her. The Joker grabbed her by the neck and brought her up to her feet again and spun her around to face him. This time, she _did_ want to look into his eyes. She needed to see that they were alive and well. And they were. Cold and emotionless as they may have been, they were nonetheless soothing. He brought her face closer to his. She had no idea what he was about to do. Then suddenly, the lights went out and she let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. "Looks like there's a power outage," he said. The darkness was such a contrast to the light. She didn't even see his lips as he spoke, but she could feel they were still close to hers.

"Looks like," she breathed out, trying her best to keep her voice from shaking. He drew back slightly, taking a firmer grip by the nape of her neck.

"You see Harley, life isn't fair. You better start taking what you want while you still can. Or you might and up as your, uh… little _pal_ over there." He nodded to the lifeless body of Dr. Baker.

It all suddenly became so clear to her. And all it took was this one deed from him. He was right. He _had_ been right all along. All this time she had been doing nothing but trying to prove herself to everyone else. Trying to _please_ everyone. Harley wanted to laugh at the fact that it wasn't until now that she realized how wrong she had been. Up until this moment, she had been clueless and foolish. It was time she grew up and faced the truth – life wasn't fair.

She tensed up at the voice of the orderly outside. She was just able to make out his words. "Hey, you there! Stop!" But that was all he said before there was a gunshot and Harley jumped at the sound.

"That would be my exit cue," the Joker said. He let go of her neck and then dug his hand into the right pocket of her doctor's coat. She didn't even try to stop him. She was like nailed to the floor. She felt numb. "I'm gonna have to borrow this," he said and showcased the access card in front of her face. "You don't mind, do you?" He moved up to the door and that was when she felt she could move again. All because of one thought that she couldn't help thinking: _He's leaving me._

"Wait!" she exclaimed, reaching out to him. "Don't leave me like this." She was well aware that she sounded pathetic. Probably _looked_ pathetic as well, what with the blood on her hands, her red eyes and wet face and she felt her knees shaking slightly. She regretted having decided to wear heels today.

"Don't worry," he said, trying to sound reassuring. "We'll meet again sooner than you think." There was a glint in his eye and she wondered what he meant by that. He used the card to unlock the door and when he opened it, he was greeted by the sound of another man's voice. Harley saw two guys wearing clown masks right outside the door. "Ah," the Joker pronounced. "You're just in time." He glanced back at Harley and winked at her. "See ya!" And with that, he and his goons disappeared down the halls which were just as dark as the room from the power outage. So they had planned to break him out all along? She fell to her knees. She wanted to bury her face in her hands, but the blood kept her from it. Instead, she stared down at her palms. It might as well have been her who killed Dr. Baker.

She heard hurried footsteps coming closer and then they stopped outside, followed by a gasp. " _Someone call an ambulance!_ " It was Joan's voice. They must have shot the orderly outside. Harley just hoped they hadn't killed him too. "Dr. Timm, keep pressure on that wound! I need to check on Dr. Quinzel." Joan stepped inside the room and put her hand over her mouth at the sight in front of her. Her eyes widened in horror. "Oh my God! Dr. Baker… _Has anybody called 911 yet?_ " she shouted into the hallway over her shoulder. Joan's eyes fell on Harley. "Harley!" She bent down to help her stand up again. "Are you all right?" she asked, worried for her friend.

"I – I…" She couldn't get any words out of her. Joan looked at Dr. Baker again and then came to the horrifying conclusion. "He's gone, isn't he?" she asked and Harley nodded.

"I'm sorry," she choked out of her.

"It's okay," Joan tried to convince her and put her arms around Harley for comfort as well as support. "It's not your fault. Come on, let's get you washed up."

* * *

 **A/N: Things just keep going downhill for Harley, don't they? What is she going to do now that the Joker has escaped? Go after him? Or maybe she's too shaken up at the moment? I can't even imagine what it's like to watch someone die like that. So yeah, I got this chapter up quick, but it was practically finished already before I started posting this fic. As I said, I started on this a couple of years ago. From here on out though, I need to organize the story a little better and I have more things to fill out, so I don't know when the next chapter will be up, but I'm working on it. ;) Thanks for reading/reviewing/following! It helps me move forward! :)**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

After having washed the blood off her hands, Harley was given a blanket to put around her and she sat down in the conference room. Joan stayed with her the whole time. Harley didn't say a word. She just stared blankly ahead. After a while, Dr. Arkham stepped inside. Harley didn't turn to look at him. "The ambulance has arrived. They said Mr. Dwight will be fine. Thank God." Those last words he whispered more to himself. Harley supposed Mr. Dwight was the orderly who had been shot. When they had passed him on their way out of the examination room, Harley didn't want to look down at him. It would have been too much. But at least he was going to be okay. Dr. Arkham went on. "And the GCPD is here too. They want to talk to you, Dr. Quinzel."

This time, she did look up and at the same moment, two policemen walked into the room. One of them was slightly overweight and had a stern, but at the same time, given the situation, sympathetic look on his face. The other had brown hair and a mustache, wearing square spectacles around a pair of kind and wise eyes. Harley had seen them both before in the papers and on the news. Commissioner James Gordon came up to Harley where she sat in her chair and he crouched down to a squat in order to look her directly in the face. "Dr. Quinzel, I'm Commissioner Jim Gordon and this is Detective Harvey Bullock." He nodded to his partner, who was still standing by the door with Dr. Arkham. "If you don't mind, we would like to ask you a few questions." Harley looked into his eyes for a moment. They were probably the kindest eyes she had ever seen. Even more so than her father's.

"That's all right," she said. Her voice was low and hoarse. Gordon nodded and moved to sit down in the chair across from her. Bullock gestured for Dr. Arkham and Joan to leave. Joan asked Harley if it was all right with her and she nodded in response. Bullock sat down next to Gordon and Joan shut the door after her. Now they were alone and the whole room was drowned in silence for a short moment. Then Gordon spoke up.

"Could you please tell us everything that happened?"

And she did. Starting with when Dr. Baker's session with the Joker had started and ending with when the Joker had escaped. She remembered everything in between as clear as day. Every detail. Every word, every image, every scent. They were still fresh in her mind and she feared they would never go away. When she had finished her tale, Gordon was the one who spoke again. "Dr. Quinzel?" he asked tentatively. She looked up into his old and wise eyes.

"Yes?"

"If it's not too much to ask…" He paused and it seemed to her that he was contemplating whether he should ask or not.

"Yes…?" she urged him to finish and so he did.

"We would like you to be part of the investigation."

Harley's mouth opened up just a crack and she inhaled a breath, as if preparing herself to respond, but Gordon made it before her. "I completely understand if you don't want to get involved. It's just that… Well, you're the only one who really knows him. From what Dr. Arkham told me, you're the only one he's ever opened up to." He had a point. Maybe she _could_ help? Maybe she could actually do something good? Be of value?

"I will help you," she finally spoke and Gordon seemed to lighten up. "On one condition…" she added and he nodded for her to go on. She drew in a breath. "He's not to be harmed." She was dead serious, not once wavering or blinking. The look he gave her indicated that it was a promise he couldn't keep. He was even about to tell her so, but then changed his mind once he locked his gaze on her pleading eyes. He had no idea why she would care about the Joker getting hurt or not, but he figured it was unwise to question her.

"Of course not," he said. "Once we find him, he'll be taken into custody and then moved back to Arkham. Nothing more."

"Good." The small word slipped out of her barely open mouth. That's the word Gordon heard, but from her eyes he could read "thank you." He gave her a simple nod and then procured a piece of paper and a pen.

"Write down your number and we'll call you as soon as we need you. Okay?" Harley nodded and grabbed the pen to scribble down her number. Her hand was shaking slightly and Gordon noticed. Once she had written the last digit and dropped the pen, he placed his hand on top of hers. She looked up into his face again. "We _will_ find him," he reassured. She only nodded and then took a deep breath. He gave her a small smile. "You go home now and get some sleep."

* * *

Harley did as told and Dr. Arkham had even given her the rest of the week off to recover, but Harley told him that she would come back to work on Thursday. She figured it was a good idea to take at least _one_ day off. In her opinion, she deserved it. Although her intention was to fall asleep once in her bed… she just couldn't. The events of the morning were still fresh in her memory, playing on repeat. But the one moment she kept coming back to more than any other, was when the Joker had told her they would see each other again. Would he come back for her? Or was it just a lie to please her at the moment? She told herself it hadn't been a lie. _He wouldn't lie to me._ All she could do now was wait for the opportunity to present itself – the opportunity to see him again.

It was well after 10 PM when Harley was still up, watching TV in her apartment. She did it in hopes of getting her mind to rest. But "rest" was a word that seemed to have gone on vacation from her vocabulary these days. She jumped in her seat on the couch when she heard something. Something that didn't come from the TV. Like a _thud_. Her heart started racing without her being able to control it. She thought about putting the TV on mute so she could hear better, but decided against it. If she did so, whoever or whatever was in her apartment would know she had heard the thud. No, to keep the TV going was her one and only advantage. Maybe it wasn't anything special, but somehow, Harley could sense that she wasn't alone. Looking around for something, her eyes stopped to rest on the vase on the coffee table. It would have to do. She grabbed it by the neck with both hands and turned it upside down, holding it in a firm grip. Quietly, she started to move on tip-toes through the room. She could have sworn the thud came from the balcony. Slowly, she made her way there. The polished surface of the vase and her sweaty palms was not a good combination, but she gripped it tighter in hopes that it wouldn't slip through her hands.

Then she heard another noise, but it didn't come from the balcony. It came from _behind her_. In a heartbeat, she spun around and let out a shriek when she saw the black caped figure standing in front of her. He didn't utter a sound. She let out a breath and shook her head at him. This was not cool. "Don't you knock before entering a lady's boudoir?" she asked, well aware of the contempt in her voice. He was trespassing after all. She had all the right to be angry.

"Sorry," the Batman spoke in a dark and gravelly voice. Harley raised an eyebrow and glowered at him.

"Prove it," she said.

"I will," he said. "Just as soon as you lower that vase." He gestured with a simple nod towards the vase in her hands, which was still raised in defense. She looked at it, then back at him, then back to the vase again before rolling her eyes and letting out an exasperated sigh.

"Fine," she said and moved to hold the vase in her right hand, lowering it so it rested against her leg. "I suppose you're not here to hurt me. So why are you here?"

"What do you think?" Harley fell silent. There could only be one reason for his being here.

"I think you're here because you want to get some inside information on the Joker and ask me if I know where he could possibly be." She was straight-forward, not once faltering. "And I can tell you right away," she said, taking one small step forward. "All of the information I have on him is confidential. I wouldn't give it to you even if you were the pope. And no, I have no idea where he could possibly be." Batman in turn, grew quiet for a couple of seconds.

"Then I won't ask."

"Thank you," Harley answered with a fake smile and then turned around to put the vase back in the sitting room, but she continued to talk, knowing he could still hear her. "I wasn't expecting company, but is there any chance I can get you anything? Coffee? Or, whatever it is you bats prefer." That last sentence she said more to herself. Once the vase was back in place, she turned around, expecting to see him there, but no. It was just her. She went back to look where she had left him, but he wasn't there. She snorted with a slight chuckle and shook her head. "Son of a bitch."

* * *

 **A/N: This is more of a filler chapter, but at least we got a Batman cameo! Yay! :D And did you find the reference to _Batman: The Animated Series_? To say the least, Harley doesn't like unexpected guests. Especially if they wear a black cape and cowl. ;) I forgot to say so, but I made another reference in the previous chapter. I named one of the doctors "Timm" which, of course, was a nod to Bruce Timm. ;) Next chapter is sure to be much more eventful and a certain reuinion is going to take place. ;)**


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

After her unexpected visitor, or more accurately; _intruder_ , had left her apartment last night, Harley had managed to fall asleep in front of the TV. Luckily, it automatically went to stand-by mode after a couple of hours. When she woke up around nine o'clock the next morning, the TV was off and the sun was shining bright through the blinds in the windows. She picked up her cellphone on the table in front of the couch and couldn't believe she'd actually slept for that long when she saw what time it was. She also felt the hunger in her stomach getting more intense by the minute. Time for breakfast.

Harley was happy that she'd decided to stay home today. There was no need to rush anything. She had no appointments and no place to be. She could just stay home all day and do nothing. _How boring._ She scolded herself for thinking that way. It didn't matter if it was boring. She needed to rest. As she sat by the kitchen table, suddenly her phone started ringing from the living room where she had left it. She made her way there and picked the phone up in her hand. The number on the display was unknown to her. _Could it be?_ Harley bit her lip, thinking hard. What if it _was_ him? If it was, she supposed it was best _not_ to answer, but right now, she was not interested in listening to her voice of reason. She picked up.

"Hello?" She held her breath as she waited for the other person to respond. However, she was let down as the voice she heard was not his. It was a woman who spoke.

" _Hi, is this Dr. Harleen Quinzel?"_ the woman asked.

"Yes, that's me," Harley answered.

" _Hi, Dr. Quinzel, my name is Vicki Vale. I'm a reporter for_ Gotham Gazette _. I was wondering if maybe you would be up for an interview?"_ Of course. She should have known. It was a wonder she hadn't been contacted yesterday, but it seemed as if people were at least kind enough to give her some time. Harley sighed.

"I – I don't think so," she answered and it was the truth. The last thing she wanted was to be talked about and she certainly didn't want to _talk_ about yesterday's events again. "I don't have anything to say," she added. Thankfully, Vicki didn't push her.

" _That's all right, I understand. If you ever change your mind, you can reach me on this number."_

"Okay, thank you. Goodbye." She hung up and heaved another sigh, this time of relief. But somehow she had a feeling that it wouldn't be the last call she would get.

She was right. Jimmy Olsen had called her from the _Daily Planet_ in Metropolis. She had told him the same thing. They had also called from GCN, wanting an interview on TV _that night!_ That was even worse than an interview in a newspaper! But then she had received another call that didn't come from a company. It came from her father. He still lived in Brooklyn and not once had he contacted her since she started working at Arkham. Not until now.

"Hey, dad," Harley answered.

" _Harley, I'm so glad to hear your voice!" Really? If you missed it so much, why didn't you call before?_

"And I'm glad to hear yours," she said, just to keep him content.

" _I heard the news last night and I wanted to call then, but I figured you needed some space. I knew things wouldn't end well. You have no idea how worried I've been!"_

"No one could have known this was going to happen," Harley said. "And if you've been worried about me, why haven't you called earlier?" She heard him sigh on the other end.

" _Harley, sweetheart… I_ always _worry for my little girl. As a parent, you have to tell yourself that it's all right. That you have to let your kids go. But now I'm thinking maybe it was a mistake to let you go."_ There was a quiet moment. Harley didn't know what to say, so inevitably, her next words didn't come out well.

"No. No, _the mistake_ was that you never encouraged me to pursue my dreams! You don't have to worry about letting me go, because now… I'm letting _you_ go." She kept the phone by her ear, half expecting an answer, but it was quiet. She hung up.

Cassidy never called her, but sent her text messages instead, writing things like: _How are you? You okay? Do you want to talk? Call me, okay?_ After she had received about a dozen of those, she sent one back: _I don't want to talk. I'm fine, that's all you need to know._ Maybe it was a bit rude, but she didn't care. Cassidy hadn't cared that night at the bar, so why should Harley?

* * *

On Thursday, she came to work and the day went on as usual. Except for one thing of course. Harley had to stop herself halfway to the examination room when it was five minutes to three o'clock. _Right,_ she remembered. _No Joker, no session._ It was obvious that all of her coworkers pitied her. They gave her sympathetic looks, but that was all. They avoided talking to her. It was best that way, really. She wasn't interested in talking to anyone who would only ask her how she was. That was why her therapy sessions with the other inmates had gone so well that day. She had the chance to ask _someone else_ how _they_ were and what _they_ were feeling. This was the reason she had wanted to get back to work. Now she could forget about herself and her troubles for a while.

After she got home on Thursday afternoon, there was one thing that came to her mind. She thought about the Joker's escape. Arkham Asylum had good security. To plan an escape like that would be nearly impossible if you didn't know your way around the place. There were plenty of guards and surveillance cameras. If there were clowns approaching, _someone_ must have noticed. How would the Joker's men know where to get in unseen and how would they know where he was at the time they broke in, unless the Joker told them himself? He had no way of contacting them. Or maybe he did? What if there was someone who could tell his men _exactly_ how to get in and execute the plan without failure? And then she thought about his session with Dr. Wilson. How _did_ he know about her family? _Someone_ must have told him and that someone couldn't be just anyone. Suddenly all the pieces fell into place and it dawned on her. _The Joker had an inside man._

* * *

During Harley's first break on Friday, she headed straight to Dr. Arkham's office to have a private audience with him. He was surprised when she entered and closed the door behind her. "I need to talk to you," she said and sat down in the empty chair across from him.

"Okay," he said slowly, slightly uneased by her serious tone. "I'm listening." Harley didn't hesitate, but shared her suspicions with him.

"I think the Joker has a man on the inside." Dr. Arkham raised a brow.

"Really? I think I would know such a thing."

"Yes, but hear me out. Just think about it. How could he have known all those things about Dr. Wilson? How could his escape have gone so smoothly? I don't think his men would willingly break him out unless he had told them to and how could he have contacted them unless it was through someone _here_? My guess is that it's one of the orderlies." Dr. Arkham blinked a couple of times. He had no idea what to respond.

"Wow," he said. "Well, now that you mention it… I think you might be onto something here." Harley couldn't believe her ears. He actually _agreed_ with her. "It does seem strange how he could have known all those things and there is really only _one_ reasonable answer to that. I also believe one of the orderlies is our rat. I mean, apart from you, they are the only ones he's had any social interaction with." Harley nodded.

"That's true. Do you know which ones were assigned to him? Hartley is one of them, that much I know."

"Yes," Dr. Arkham confirmed. "Hartley and, let me see," he shut his eyes hard, thinking. "Yes, Carter," he said as he remembered and opened up his eyes again. "And also… Dwight." Harley nodded again, slowly.

"Okay, well I don't think it's Dwight, since they shot him," she thought out loud.

"Who knows, maybe he is one of them, but they wanted to make it look convincing so it wouldn't give him away?" Dr. Arkham suggested. Harley shrugged.

"Maybe, but I don't think so. Anyway, this has to stay between us. If word gets out, then whoever our rat is might find out and get away with it."

"I agree. Are you going to tell Commissioner Gordon?" Harley took the phone out of her pocket.

"I'm already on it." Before she could do anything however, her phone rang right as she held it in her hand. Without bothering about the number, she answered it and to her surprise, it was Gordon who spoke.

" _Dr. Quinzel? I think we've found him."_

* * *

 **A/N: Wow, what a cliffhanger, huh? Once again, I find myself putting certain things on hold. There was supposed to be a reunion in this chapter, but it would have ben way too long, but I promise Harley and Mistah J will reunite again in the next chapter! Thanks for reading and reviewing! :)**


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

Once his words reached her through the phone, her heart stopped. They had _found him_? So _soon_? Harley had no idea how to react. Gordon told her that he would come and pick her up in twenty minutes. She told Dr. Arkham about it and he had no choice but to let her go, of course. Harley had a light lunch before Gordon arrived. She had no idea when she'd be back and so she thought it was best to eat something.

When twenty minutes had passed, Harley took off her doctor's coat as well as her glasses and left them on her desk. She only wore them while at work. She headed outside and sure enough, there was a police car waiting for her there. She saw Gordon in the backseat and he reached over to open up the door for her. "Hurry up!" he called and she rushed over in her flats. _Thank God I didn't wear heels today._ Once inside the car, they sped away from the asylum.

"What's happened?" Harley asked. "Do you know where he is?"

"I think we do," he answered. "We just received a call from an agency hosting birthday parties for children." Harley was confused. What did birthday parties for kids have anything to do with it? Gordon went on. "They had one booked today at 11:30 AM at Grant Park. They had booked two clowns for the party. Only, they got beaten unconscious and when they came to, they had been robbed of their costumes and one of the vans belonging to the company was gone." All this he said without a single pause and never taking his eyes off the road. _Oh, now I get it._

"It has to be him," Harley confessed. Who else could it be? Not that she had any idea what he would do at a birthday party for kids. Maybe it was his way of finally revealing himself so that she could come find him? Deep down, that's what she hoped it was all about; that he _wanted_ her to come to him. She came back to the conversation from her thoughts. "But that means he's not alone. There's got to be at least two more," she concluded, more to herself than to Gordon.

"That's what we're thinking."

"And you want me to try to reason with him?"

"If there's anyone who can," he said and finally turned to look at her, "it's you," he finished, nodding at her. She appreciated it. It made her feel special. She was the only one who might be able to reach out to him. Another question struck her mind.

"When did you receive the call?"

"Just about half an hour ago."

"How long 'til we get there?" Gordon looked down at his watch.

"If we hurry, we can make it there in fifteen minutes." She looked down at her own watch and her heart sank. In fifteen minutes, the clock would already have passed 11:30 with maybe eight minutes.

"We won't make it before them," she pointed out.

"We have backup," Gordon said. "They might make it there in five minutes, but we better not waste any time."

Four minutes passed and Gordon received a call. "Bullock, are you there?" he asked. Harley couldn't hear what Bullock was saying, but she hoped it wasn't anything bad. "No, you don't do anything 'til I get there! That's an order! We'll be there in two minutes!" Gordon hung up, his face red. It was slightly unsettling seeing how upset he was. _Two minutes._

They came to an abrupt stop just outside the entrance of the park. The van that belonged to the agency was carelessly parked near the sidewalk. It was hard to mistake it for an ordinary van, because it was all yellow with the company's logo written on it in vibrant colors. Gordon stepped out of the car and Harley followed suit. The rest of the police officers were already waiting for them. Harley saw Harvey Bullock and he acknowledged her with a nod. "Doctor."

"Detective," she mirrored his nod.

"I can't believe why someone would hire clowns for a birthday party to begin with," he complained. "They're freaking terrifying." Harley couldn't stifle her chuckle, but thankfully it was barely audible. She figured they wouldn't take kindly to it. Then she saw the officers grab hold of their pistols. _They can't do that._ Harley tugged at Gordon's sleeve. "Hey, no harm was to come to him!" she said and gestured to the armored policemen.

"All right," he said, "but the same does not go for the rest of his crew." He turned to his men who were waiting for orders. "No one aims for the Joker! Your targets are the clowns! _Only_ the _clowns!_ " he repeated, then turned back to Harley. "Stay behind me." She nodded in response and followed him as they entered the park.

It wasn't long until they spotted two men in clown costumes along with four others in clown masks. They were all armed with guns, directly aimed at a bunch of kids and a couple of adults huddled together on the ground. The kids couldn't be more than ten years old. A lot of them were crying and the adults, two mothers it seemed, looked to be close to tears as well. There was a table behind them all set and decorated for the party. A big cake was placed in the middle. Then, from behind the group of frightened hostages, Harley saw a tall figure dressed in a purple greatcoat coming into view. It felt like she hadn't seen him in ages and now here he was in all his glory. She froze on the spot, even though her feet were itching to run straight up to him. Gordon announced their presence, gun held at the ready. " _GCPD! Let go of your hostages and stand down!_ " In one swift movement, the clowns redirected their guns toward the police instead, but they didn't shoot. The Joker practically lit up at the sight of his new guests.

"Ah, we were _just_ about to cut the cake," he said and clapped his gloved hands together. "I'm so glad you could make it in time!"

" _Last chance, Joker,_ " Gordon warned and repeated himself. " _Let the hostages go and stand down!_ " Harley glanced around at the other officers who had now formed a half-circle around the clowns. It was ten against seven, if you included the Joker, but he didn't appear to be holding a gun. The Joker frowned.

"Why do you always have to be such party poopers?" Harley was right; the Joker wasn't holding a gun, but now he withdrew one from his pocket and fired it at the cops. The clowns did the same and the hostages huddled even closer together.

Harley was still frozen on the spot, but when Gordon turned around and told her to go get cover, she didn't hesitate to follow his orders. She ran away from the spot and hid behind a big maple tree about sixty yards away from the shootings. She leaned her back against the trunk and took deep breaths. Surely ten policemen would be able to take them down, right? And the Joker wouldn't be harmed. Gordon had promised her that. When she could breathe normally again, Harley peeked around the tree to see what was going on. The Joker was the first person her eyes landed on. He was still on his feet, laughing maniacally. _He's all right._ A couple of his men were not, though. Harley could see that two of them had been hit. One was lying on the ground, bleeding and the other was taking turns firing his gun and clutching his arm, which was undeniably bleeding. A couple of cops had been shot as well, but not fatally it seemed. Her eyes landed on one of the boys in blue and her eyes widened in horror. He was aiming his gun at the one person he was told not to. Adrenaline kicked in and she ran faster than she ever had before. _Oh no you don't!_ Thanks to her speed, she was able to knock the officer down when she bumped into his side. " _Don't shoot!"_ she yelled. The man looked up from the ground and his eyes shot daggers at her.

"Crazy bitch!" he exclaimed and grabbed his gun, getting back up on his feet, taking his aim once more.

In that moment, something triggered inside of Harley. She came at him from behind and threw her arms around his neck and wrapped her legs around his torso, clinging onto him. He was forced to bend backwards and he had to drop his gun to try to get rid of her arms that were slowly choking him. With great force, he bent forward and pulled Harley over his head and she landed with a thump on the ground. It practically knocked the breath out of Harley, but she couldn't give up. He _needed her._ She looked around for something. _Anything._ Then her eyes locked on a baseball bat lying just a few feet away. She got up and went to grab it. She gripped it tightly in both hands and sneaked up on the officer from behind. "I said… _don't_ _shoot!_ " She swung the bat hard into the back of his head and he fell unconscious to the ground. She dropped the baseball bat to the ground, realizing what she'd just done. When she looked up, she saw him standing a few yards across from her. He started giggling. "I'm starting to rub off on you."

The gunfire didn't cease between the cops and the clowns and no one seemed to have noticed that Harley had just smacked one of the cops to the ground. However, the clowns had a hard time keeping up. She heard the screech of wheels and the yellow van came crashing into the park and skidded to a stop on the green lawn. "Come on boss, let's scram!" one of the clowns yelled and headed straight for the van. The cops didn't stop shooting at them.

The Joker caught on quickly to the fact that no one seemed to be aiming for him. He had hoped that the fun wouldn't stop here, but it looked like he ran out of options. He caught sight of the children and the two accompanying parents. They hadn't moved an inch. "Plan B it is, then," he muttered to himself and strode over to the cowering group from behind. Then he yanked one of the girls with his left arm around her abdomen, dragging her along to the van. She screamed and tried to break free. The other kids looked horrified and one of the women cried out. She had to have been the girl's mother.

" _NO!_ " she screamed and was about to follow them, but the Joker raised his gun and held it against the girl's temple. All the fuss attracted everyone's attention and the shooting stopped. Harley had watched it all, fearing where this was heading. Now when the Joker knew he had everyone's attention, he spoke up.

"It's been a hoot as always, but I'm running on a tight schedule. And so is she, in case anyone tries to follow us." He looked down at the crying girl who had stopped fighting him since he held the gun at her. Someone had to do something. Harley found Gordon, who nodded for her to start reasoning. She nodded back and looked to the Joker, who stood his ground by the van.

"J…" she started carefully and took a few steps closer to him. "J, let the girl go. She's just a kid, she doesn't need to get hurt." The Joker was impatient.

"You're gonna need something a lot better to convince me," he said, still holding the gun in place. Of course he wanted more. That girl was his ticket to an escape route. No one would try to follow them when they knew an innocent could be killed. Well, then that's exactly what he would get.

"Take me instead," Harley said. "Let the girl go and I'll go with you."

"Harleen, _no_!" Gordon exclaimed.

" _Don't argue!_ " she shot right back. "This is _my_ decision." The Joker seemed to be buying it.

"Well, then scoot over here," he told her, still not letting the girl go. Harley did as told and moved slowly towards him.

"All right, let her go," Harley said as she came to stand in front of him. He waited a couple of seconds, eyeing her, before recklessly tossing the girl aside who instantly ran over to her mother. Harley felt relieved as she watched mother and daughter embrace each other. But a loving embrace wasn't what was coming her way. The Joker roughly grabbed her with his arm around her neck, pulling her close with her back against his chest. He leaned down to speak in her ear.

"How noble of you, playing the hero. You're lucky I'm feeling generous today." His breath felt warm against her skin, but the barrel of the gun he put against her head was cold.

"Same thing goes for her. Anyone follows us and it's bye-bye Dr. Quinzel." Harley looked at Gordon, who was now aiming his gun at the Joker, but the worry was evident on his face. She made eye contact with him. _Do as he says. Don't follow us._ Gordon reluctantly lowered his gun and he motioned for his men to do the same.

The Joker dragged Harley with him into the back of the van and one of the clowns already in the van closed the doors shut as the driver sped away from the scene. The Joker tossed Harley down onto the floor and he sat down on the bench attached to the wall. There was only one bench, so Harley would have to settle for the floor on the opposite side. She backed up against the wall and locked her eyes on him. He, in turn, did the same. There was only silence between them for a couple of seconds and the two clowns who were accompanying them in the back did not dare speak. Then, he started talking. "I told you we would see each other again. Reunited at last." The sarcasm was evident, but that didn't matter to her. All she could think about was that, yes, they were finally reunited. There were so many things she wanted to tell him, but given that they weren't alone, she had to save that for later.

"So it seems."

* * *

 **A/N: So sorry for the late update! I just felt I needed a short break. Hope that's all right. Honestly, I'm not all too pleased with this chapter. There are just so many things I wish were different, things that I could have done better, but alas, this is what you get. Our two clowns are finally reunited at least, so I hope that makes you happy. :) Next chapter is going to be all Joker/Harley, so look out for that. ;)**


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

Silence fell in the back of the van. The two clowns hadn't removed their masks. Harley figured they were only allowed to remove them if their boss said so. She came to think of the other two who had been injured back at the park. They had left them behind and they were most likely being taken to the hospital now and then they would certainly be put up for questioning. Would they betray the Joker and tell the cops where he was or would they keep it to themselves? Harley knew that the police would be looking for the Joker (and her) no matter what. Then something occurred to her. "I don't know about you, but if you ask me, the colour yellow isn't really that subtle. Ever thought about all the people who will be looking for us?" The Joker's smirk told her he had already thought about that.

"Oh, don't you worry," he said. "We'll get to that soon enough."

After what felt like fifteen minutes, the van stopped. _Finally._ The Joker was the first to get up and he opened the back doors. "All right, time to get up." The Joker reached down and jerked Harley by the arm into a standing position.

"Hey!" she protested, but didn't attempt to wriggle out of his grip as she was dragged out of the van. The clowns followed, even the two in the front. The Joker pushed Harley in front of him.

"Move your ass." He pointed to another van that was waiting for them right ahead. It was a similar model, but this one was white instead of yellow and didn't have a logo on it.

"More car riding?" she asked with a sigh. To her surprise, he brought his hand up to pat the back of her head.

"Don't worry. We don't have far to go now. Come on." There were two more of his men waiting by the white van. This had been his plan all along. Harley climbed into the back, closely followed by the Joker and the other four. When the doors closed, the van started moving and one of the goons handed the Joker something. "Here you go, boss." Harley knew what that was – a detonator. The Joker smiled.

"Just wait till you see this," he told her and she looked out the windows on the doors. He pressed the button and then – _BOOM!_ They were well out of reach for the explosion to do any harm to them, but it still had the van shaking quite violently. The yellow van was now on fire and the Joker laughed, amused at the sight. "I bet you've never seen anything like _that_ before." He looked down at her again and she shook her head, clearly not as amused as he was.

"Can't say that I have."

He had been right about them not having far to go. They only travelled for about ten minutes before the van pulled to a stop. "Home sweet home!" the Joker announced with his arms wide open as he jumped down onto the ground. Harley slowly stood up as well and when she got to the edge of the van, he was waiting there with an outstretched hand. She looked down at it and then into his eyes, trying to determine if he was joking or not. "Well, come on, then," he said impatiently and she decided to take his hand. Who would have thought the Joker was such a gentleman? He helped her down and then wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her close. She had not been prepared for that, but she went along with it, even leaning into him ever so slightly. "Welcome to your new home, Harley." She looked at the worn down building in front of her. It was a two-story, shutdown motel and from the looks of it, it had run out of business years ago. Harley wondered why the place hadn't been demolished, but then she recognized that they were in the Narrows. This part of the city wasn't really that much cared for and it was full of crime. Arkham Asylum wasn't too far away from here.

The Joker led her to the main entrance and Harley was a bit overwhelmed at the number of goons inside. But these weren't wearing any masks, so she could clearly make out their facial expressions. The Joker dug his hand harder into her waist, pulling her even closer. The goons were dumbfounded to say the least. They were used to seeing their boss's hostages being dragged inside, gagged and crying. Never before had they seen him actually pulling someone, especially a woman, close like that. But he was making a statement; she was all his and no one else's. No one said a word however and the Joker took Harley with him up the stairs to the second floor. They moved down the hallway of doors that led into different rooms and then stopped by the very last one on the left. He threw her inside and the force had her tumbling backwards, backing into the wall. _What a gentleman, indeed._ She let her eyes wander around the room. It wasn't very big, but it was enough space for a double bed in the middle, a drawer opposite to it with a small TV on, a desk and an armchair in a corner. Next to the drawer was a door, presumably leading to a connecting bathroom. If she had to guess, this was his room.

He closed the door behind him and then took of his gloves and coat, throwing them onto the bed. "Now," he said and clapped his hands together. "I would like to, _sincerely,_ apologize for all the fuss. Hope you don't take it personal." He was _apologizing? Yeah, right._ She chuckled and her mouth widened into a grin, baring her teeth. She shook her head in disbelief.

"You are –"

"Charming?" he said.

"Actually, I was going for cynical. But sure," she crossed her arms in front of her chest. "I mean, what woman wouldn't _love_ to be captured and abducted by a mass murdering, psychopathic clown?" The sarcasm was dripping. But in reality, she actually meant it. _What are you thinking, Harley? Look at yourself! You're having an ordinary conversation with probably the most dangerous man in the whole city! Snap out of it!_ But she didn't want to listen to her small voices of reason inside her head. For once, she wanted to do something that wasn't expected of her. Something that _she_ wanted.

"You know," Harley started, "I used to be scared of clowns. But not anymore. Why do you think that is?" He pursed his red painted lips and shrugged.

"Well, they say the only way to get rid of your fear…" He paused, then stepped closer. She was already leaning against the wall, so she couldn't retreat. But she didn't want to. Now his face was directly above hers and she looked into his eyes. "…is by facing it," he finished and then his tongue slid out just like it used to. It was getting harder to fight the urge to just reach up and plant her lips on his.

"I thought about what you said about taking what you want," she whispered.

"And…?" She bit her lip.

"And I know what I want now." She looked into his eyes. Neither of them blinked once.

"And what's that?" She could tell that he already knew _exactly_ what she wanted, which made it all the more easier for her to say it.

"I want you." Her hands reached up to cup his face and as she brought her mouth closer, he met her halfway and their lips connected. Before she had time to get used to this new sensation, he pressed his body hard against hers, nearly knocking the breath out of her, but she didn't budge. She knew it was wrong, but then why did it feel so right? His lips were a lot softer than she'd expected and least of all had she expected him to respond the way he did. Her heart was beating fast and she could swear that his was too. With their chests pressed against each other so close, it was like their hearts beat as one. Then all of a sudden, he jerked away, breaking that connection. They both breathed hard, staring into each other's eyes for one moment. "I brought you a little gift," he said and stepped away from her, heading back out of the room. Harley was confused by this, but she figured he wanted her to tag along, so that's exactly what she did.

They went back downstairs and it seemed that his gang were all busy with gossip in the small lobby. But as soon as their boss came into view, their mouths stayed shut. However, they weren't looking at the Joker. They were looking at Harley. She didn't know exactly what to make out of their expressions, but one thing was certain; she was not welcome here. Harley continued to follow the Joker into the next room, which was actually the kitchen. It looked like it hadn't been cleaned once in its life. _If I'm going to stay here, that needs to be fixed,_ she thought to herself. The Joker stopped by a door and opened it up for her. She could see a set of stairs leading down into a dark basement. If this was a horror movie, this would be her indication to get the hell out of the place. She looked to him and he gestured for her to go down. "Ladies first." She did go down, taking one small step at a time to make sure she didn't lose her footing. He was close behind her and when they had finally descended the stairs, he switched on the lights.

There, in the middle of the room, tied to a chair and silenced by a piece of duct tape over their mouth, was the last person Harley would ever expect to find there. When the lights turned on, the person raised their head and Harley stepped closer to confirm it was true. "Cassidy?"

* * *

 **A/N: Cliffhanger! What's Cassidy doing in the Joker's basement? Stay tuned for the next chapter to find out. ;) And I hope you enjoyed some more JXHQ moments outside of the therapy room. How long have you been waiting for them to kiss? I know I have waited for quite some time. XD I have a few more things planned for the two of them, but I do believe that we're getting closer to the end now. But don't worry, there will probably be at least five/six/seven more chapters! ;)**


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

Cassidy's eyes were bloodshot from crying and she looked so worn down. But once Harley stepped into view, her eyes were filled with hope and though her mouth was covered, Harley could still make out her own name coming from her friend. Harley had no idea why the Joker had brought Cassidy here, but she was certain that whoever was his inside man at Arkham had told him about Cassidy. That only confirmed Harley's suspicions that she had been spied on. She had mixed feelings about it, but she would talk to him about that later.

Harley looked to the Joker, asking silently what this was all about. He walked over to Cassidy who was trying desperately to talk to Harley, but as soon as he stopped behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders, she grew quiet and cringed at his touch. Her eyes were filling up with tears again. "I thought it was only good form to invite your bestie," the Joker said. "A proper introduction was long overdue, don't you think?" He directed the question to Cassidy, leaning in close to her face, but she turned it away, shutting her eyes hard. She was shaking out of fear. Harley had a bad feeling about this.

"So this is your idea of a proper introduction?" she asked. The Joker shook his head.

"Oh no, no, no." He patted Cassidy on the head before moving away, walking past Harley towards something else. Harley followed him with her eyes. "No, _this…_ " He stopped by a table standing against the wall. Harley's jaw dropped at the sight. "…is my idea of a proper introduction." From the table, he picked up a large, jagged saw in his hand. In an instant, Cassidy started screaming. Harley hated the sound of it. Not so much because it made her feel uneasy, but because it _annoyed_ her. She walked over to the Joker and saw that there were more weapons displayed on the table. Knives of all sizes and sharpness, more saws, even a _chainsaw,_ a baseball bat and a couple of guns. "As you can see, there's a variety of options," the Joker said. Harley was starting to understand where this was headed.

"You want me to kill her?" she asked calmly. He shrugged.

"You can do whatever you want with her. The choice is _yours._ " He put down the saw and stepped aside to let her make her choice.

This was a test. He wanted to see what she was capable of. How far she was willing to _go._ For him. Harley turned around and walked up to her friend, who was happy she had decided not to bring a weapon. Harley ripped off the duct tape and Cassidy was taking deep, shaky breaths. "Harley," she let out. "Are you okay? What's going on? Did he kidnap you too?" Harley stared down at her tied-up friend.

"No." She shook her head slowly back and forth. "No, he didn't. I came here with him out of my own free will." Cassidy's forehead creased into a bemused look.

"What?" she breathed. " _Why?_ " She couldn't understand it, could she?

"Why?" Harley repeated. "Because he's the only thing that makes sense to me these days. Because I feel like he's the only one who _cares_ about me." Now it was time for Cassidy's jaw to drop.

"How can you _say that?_ Harley, he's a murderer and a _psychopath!_ " Harley grew quiet for just a moment, then a smirk crept up on her lips and she shook her head, chuckling at the words she'd just heard. _You just don't know when to keep your mouth shut, do you?_ "Now _that,_ " Harley said and turned her back on Cassidy, heading back to the table. On impulse, she grabbed one of the guns and then pointed it straight at Cassidy. "That is actually the worst _possible thing_ you could say! You should've just kept your mouth shut!"

Cassidy was shaking her head back and forth, not believing a single moment of what was playing out in front of her eyes. Where was the real Harley? What had he done to her? "Harley, please don't do this!" Cassidy tried to reason. "We're best friends!" _Best friends, huh?_ Harley took a step closer.

"Oh yeah," she said sarcastically. "I'm sorry, I totally forgot! You know, when you ditched me at that club for some douche you'd just met. I never asked, but how did that work out for ya?" Without noticing it, Harley's Brooklyn accent was starting to come back. For so long had she tried to hide it, but now she was tired of hiding. Cassidy's voice was breaking as she spoke.

"I'm sorry Harley. I really am." Her voice was weak and pitiful. "You know this is wrong."

"But what's wrong with being wrong, _huh?_ " Harley's voice was getting louder. "Nobody's perfect. And you know what? I'd rather _embrace_ my flaws than try to hide them." Not once had she lowered the gun and to her surprise, her hand was as steady as a tree. Her index finger was resting by the trigger, ready to pull. Cassidy shook her head again, more frantically this time as she could see what Harley was about to do.

"Harley," she said calmly. "This _isn't_ you." Harley's eyes widened and she took a deep breath through her nose.

"Don't tell me who I am."

 _Bang._

It all went so fast. Too fast for anyone to scream. Too fast for anyone to think. Too fast for Harley to realize what she'd just done. She still held the gun pointed in the exact same spot as before. The bullet had gone straight through Cassidy's head and now her body was lifeless, still tied down to the chair. Harley was breathing heavily. She felt the Joker coming up behind her. "Wow," he said, raising his eyebrows at the scene. "I was expecting a lot of things, but that was not one of them." He stopped right behind her, his chest to her back. He raised his left arm and grabbed the gun from her hands. He tossed it down onto the floor. "I'm impressed." Harley slowly turned around and placed her hands on his chest. He, in turn, placed his on her hips. Her heavy breathing was still audible, but she was beginning to calm down when she looked up into his dark eyes. "You're feeling it, aren't you? The _rush?_ "

"I – I think so, yeah," she answered, at a loss for words. She was definitely feeling _something._ And whatever it was, it was all thanks to _him._

"By the way," he said, "you never told me you were from New York." She smiled. _So he picked up on that, huh?_

"You never asked me." Harley took another glance around the room. There were several shelves by the walls and they were all covered by packages of C4 explosives and the likes, along with some more guns. Much _bigger_ ones than the one _she'd_ just used. It seemed that what once was a food cellar, they had now turned into their very special storage room and torture chamber. Oh yes, this was definitely like a horror movie. But it was a _good_ one. Her eyes fell on Cassidy again and the mess on the floor and wall behind her. "What do we do about that?" she asked him.

"Don't you worry, I'll have the guys clean it up later. Now, we _celebrate._ "

* * *

 **A/N: I know this chapter is really short, but I didn't want to leave you at that cliffhanger for so long! I will try to make the next chapter longer and filled with lots more of Joker/Harley moments! What did you think of this chapter? Was it what you expected or did it take you by surprise? I'd love to hear your thoughts on it! Thank you all once more for reading this story, I'm so happy so many of you are enjoying it! :)**


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

Celebration was definitely in order and what better way to celebrate than with alcohol? Even though the food cellar was now used as a storage for weaponry, there was still a cabinet down there with several bottles stocked inside. The Joker grabbed a bottle of Scotch whisky and brought it back upstairs. Harley followed him into the kitchen and watched as he opened up several cabinets in search for glasses. When he finally found the right cabinet, he took two glasses out, put them on the kitchen island and poured the whisky all the way to the brim. "Here you go," he said and handed her one glass and grabbed the other himself. Harley took it, trying hard not to spill. "Here's to Harley Quinn." He raised his glass and she did the same, smiling behind her glass at the mention of her new name.

"To Harley Quinn." They both downed their glasses in one swift motion. It burned. But it felt good. Harley put her glass down on the counter top.

"Come on," the Joker said and walked towards the lobby. "Time for you to meet the boys." She wasn't too chipper about the idea, but she figured she would have to get to know them sooner or later.

When they headed out into the lobby, Harley was once again met by judging stares. She did a quick headcount of how many goons there were in the room and unless no one was absent, it seemed he had a decent number of sixteen followers. _Sixteen guys and not a single one of them cleans the place up. Gotta do something about that._ She made a note to herself that she would bring that up some other time. "Boys, I'd like you to meet Harley," the Joker announced and once again put his arm around her, placing his hand on her waist. Some of the guys exchanged confused looks at this. Harley smiled to herself. This could be fun. "And if uh, anyone here has a problem with there being a woman in the house, then be my guest and scram. Just know that if you do, then I will have to kill you." Nobody protested or even opened their mouth. They knew better than to assume their boss was kidding around. "Oh, and uh, there's a bit of a mess down in the basement," Joker added as he remembered. "Clean it up, will ya?" He let go of Harley's waist and proceeded to the staircase leading up to the second floor. Harley tagged along.

She followed him back into his room again. He left the door open for her and she closed it behind her once back inside the room. She leaned against the frame, just looking at him. He sat down on the edge of the bed and took his shoes off. He didn't say a word. Instead, it was Harley who spoke first. "It's Hartley, isn't it?" He looked up at her, clearly confused at her question.

"What?" he asked. "Who is Hartley?" _Is he playing innocent or has it really slipped his mind?_ The thought came to her head naturally. She was a doctor after all. Or, _used to be,_ anyway.

"One of the three orderlies who were assigned to you," she explained. "He's your _'little bird',_ isn't he?" His confused expression vanished, but he still didn't give anything away.

"Why would you assume that?" She pushed herself away from the doorframe and took a few steps closer to him.

"That time you asked me about my date, I thought it was just gossip. But after the incident with Dr. Wilson, I knew something was up. There was no way for you to know anything about her unless someone had told you and as far as I'm concerned, the only people you've had any social interaction with are me and those three orderlies. I excluded Dwight, since your men shot him and though I don't think I've ever met Carter, there was just something about Hartley that seemed… well, _odd._ " He might have been able to hide it, but whenever Harley saw him, she couldn't help but get a feeling in her gut. "But it wasn't until now that I was absolute _certain_ that you had an inside man," she went on. "Because I never told you about Cassidy. That ultimately comes down to the conclusion that your man has been spying on me and that is just creepy," she said matter-of-factly. There was a quiet moment before the Joker smirked at her with a glint in his eye.

"You _are_ smarter than I thought." _Gee, thanks,_ she thought sarcastically. Did everyone really think she was just another bubbleheaded blonde bimbo? Heck, she wasn't even a _real_ blonde! "And I am sorry about the whole spy-thing," he added and got to his feet, closing the distance between them by grabbing her hips and pulling her close. "I wanted to make sure you weren't getting into any trouble." Harley raised her eyebrows at this, not quite believing it, although she really wanted to.

"Gee, that feels so reassuring."

"You're not mad at me, are you?" He didn't put it in a sarcastic way. It actually sounded quite genuine. Like the time he had said she had a lovely smile. The memory had her smiling again.

"Not a chance," she said and shook her head. "I have a question for you, though." He raised his eyebrows, anticipating her question. "Why were you at a children's birthday party?" She wanted the truth now and nothing but the truth. Of course, the truth _she_ wanted could be a far cry from his.

"I like free birthday cake," he said with a shrug. She had to laugh.

"Nothing else, then?" she asked suggestively and bit her lip.

"Well, _that_ and because I knew you'd come find me." This time, _he_ took the first step and leaned in for another kiss.

It tasted even better the second time around. Maybe it was because _he_ had initiated it? Or maybe it was because this time, there was nothing holding them back. Harley only wanted more and it seemed he did too. He buried his hands in her hair and at the same time pulled her face closer. This inevitably led to the kiss getting deeper and Harley felt their tongues meet. She had never been kissed like that before. It was toxic. She could feel the rough edges of the scars on the inside of his mouth. Suddenly, he placed his hands on the small of her back instead and pulled her with him down onto the bed so she was sitting on his lap. Now she didn't have to stand on her tip-toes to reach him. His hands slid up under her top and she helped him get it off. She started unbuttoning his shirt in turn and then it all went on from there. Not a word was spoken, nor did it have to. They both knew what they wanted.

Harley had been so exhausted from that day's events ( _especially_ from that last exertion), that she had fallen asleep and was now waking up sometime in the night. It had to be night anyway, because the room was dark. When she opened her eyes, she wondered where she was. She was looking at a wall. There was something close to her. Or rather _someone._ It all came flooding back. His arm was wrapped around her, holding her close like a child would a cuddly toy. Her back was against his bare chest and his deep breathing confirmed to her that he was asleep. Harley smiled. She could definitely get used to this.

* * *

 **A/N: Some Joker/Harley sexy times. ;) Sorry if I didn't elaborate on that, but it's not my thing. XD You're just going to have to imagine that one on your own. ;) Pretty short chapter, I know, but I'm kind of having a writer's block, or just lack of inspiration, so I need to sit down and think this through before I do another update. Plus, I have some other projects to work on. Not fics, but I am a video editor on youtube and I have a couple of vids I need to get done. My username is BelleofAvonlea in case you want to check that out. ;) And also, what I'm thinking about the most these days is Suicide Squad! I'm going to see it next Wednesday, which I'm very excited about! So my excitement pretty much takes my focus away from everything else, LOL. XD**


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

When Harley woke up in the morning, she didn't feel the Joker next to her anymore. Bright morning light was coming in from behind the closed curtains and she stretched her arms up with a yawn as she sat up in bed. The door to the bathroom was open, but he wasn't in there either, which meant he must be up and about. She wondered what time it was. Out of habit, she reached for her phone on the nightstand next to her side of the bed, but then she remembered. Yesterday, she had put her phone in her purse. And she had left her purse in her office. _Good job, Harley._ But then she came to think of the fact that a phone was traceable. The police could easily have found her location and with that also the _Joker's._

Still curious about the time, Harley looked around the room for a clock, but there was none. Maybe she could find out if she turned the TV on? The remote was on the nightstand by his side of the bed. She reached over for it and turned the TV on. The channel was GCN and they were right in the middle of the morning news. It was 8:13 AM. She was about to change the channel, but then stopped herself when she saw her face on the screen. She turned up the volume to hear what the news anchor was saying.

" _The search for Dr. Harleen Quinzel is still ongoing. It was around noon yesterday that Dr. Quinzel was kidnapped by none other than the Joker, who escaped from Arkham Asylum earlier this week."_ Harley rolled her eyes and as she did so, she noticed him standing there in the doorway, looking at her.

"Again with the kidnapping?" Harley said. "They need to get their facts straight! It's not a kidnapping if you go _willingly_ with your abductor!" The Joker closed the door behind him, came up to the bed and plopped the morning newspaper down next to her. She looked down at it.

"They're calling you a hero," he said and Harley read the headline across the front page. _Arkham shrink abducted by the Joker._ There was a subheading in the form of a quote: _"She sacrificed herself to save my daughter's life."_ Harley did the exact opposite of what anyone else in her position would have; she frowned. Perhaps she would have been flattered by it before, but now it just made her sick.

"Not for long, they won't," she said and turned her attention back to the TV. The Joker did the same. They were interviewing Commissioner Gordon.

" _We're doing everything we can to find Dr. Quinzel and if we can find her, we can find the Joker and hopefully put an end to his antics."_ Harley heard the Joker chuckle to himself.

"Good luck with that." He exchanged a smirk with Harley and then brought his hands down to cup her face. He buried his hands in her hair. She could see that the paint on his face was slightly smeared around the eyes and on the forehead. Probably from rubbing his face in his sleep. "I'm going out, so you're going to have to make it on your own for a while. Think you can do that?"

"I'm a big girl."

"Good," he said and pulled away. He grabbed his purple coat. "Don't get into any trouble without me," he said as he put his arms through the sleeves.

"I won't," she promised and watched him leave the room. That was when she realized just how hungry she was. She hadn't eaten anything since that light lunch yesterday. She turned the TV off and put on her clothes that lay in a pile on the floor.

Harley headed downstairs and into the kitchen, not paying attention to the glares she was getting by a couple of guys in the lobby. There were five more of them in the kitchen. They sat at a table, eating breakfast. Wordlessly, they stared her down as she approached the fridge to see what there was to eat. The sight she was met by when she opened it was less than overwhelming. Not a wide range of things. At least there was milk, so she grabbed the container and quickly found a glass in the cupboard. She noticed the dirty dishes in the sink. The whole place was really untidy. How did they manage? It seemed they were in need of a woman. She leaned back against the counter and she was still being glared at. She glared right back whilst drinking her milk. When they realized she wasn't about to stand down, they resumed eating their breakfast in peace. Harley smirked, feeling satisfied.

The guys finished their breakfast and went out to join their pals in the lobby. Harley emptied her glass and put it in the sink with the rest of the dishes. Then she went looking for cleaning supplies. There was a cupboard in the kitchen containing just that and she found a huge bucket and a mop. There was a bottle of soap by the sink and she put some in the bucket and filled it up with hot water. In the lobby, the guys were having a good time watching TV. To her surprise, no one turned to look at Harley when she came out from the kitchen, holding the bucket in one hand and the mop in the other. She cleared her throat to get their attention. No one reacted. She rolled her eyes with a sigh and walked up to stand in front of the TV screen, blocking their view. "Hey!" one of them exclaimed. "You're blocking our view lady!"

"Yeah, move your ass!" another one added. But Harley didn't move one inch. She looked down at the one who had called her lady. He was quite young, maybe in his late twenties, like her. He had dark ruffled hair and various tattoos over his arms and neck.

"No, _you_ move your ass!" she said and threw the mop at him. He wasn't quick enough to actually catch it, so he took offense to the fact that she had the gall to throw something at him. "Get to work!"

"The hell is this?" he asked and held the mop in one hand. Harley couldn't believe it. She thought the Joker was supposed to hire people smart enough to at least know what a mop was.

"It's called a mop! You clean the floor with it. Here," she said and held the bucket high in the air in front of his face. "You start in the kitchen." There was a pause, but then he started to laugh.

"Sorry lady, but you ain't the boss of me." He tossed the mop down to the floor in front of her feet. She looked down at it. The other guys were laughing too, mocking her. _That's it._ She grabbed the bucket in both hands and poured the hot water right over the tattooed guy's head.

Immediately, the laughter stopped and the newly soaked henchman was sitting there with his mouth wide open in shock. " _Crazy bitch!_ " he yelled. Harley put the bucket down.

"Now, you do as I say or I'm going to give you a _bigger_ mess to clean up!" she threatened and made sure to look at every single one of them. They were speechless. " _Get to it!_ " That seemed to do the trick. One of them picked the bucket up and another one, the mop. The tattooed guy was still sitting down and Harley dared him to stay that way.

"Alright, fine!" he said and got up finally, joining his pals in the kitchen. Harley smiled to herself.

"That's more like it."

* * *

 **A/N: Hey everyone! I hope I haven't kept you waiting for too long! It's just that I've been pretty busy with other things, not being at home etc. I know this chapter is quite short and not a lot of things happen, but I hope it's better than nothing at least! I think it's high time Harley gets to boss around a little, don't you? ;)**


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

While the guys were busy cleaning up in the kitchen, Harley decided to do the same in the Joker's room. She referred to it as _his_ room for now, anyway. Maybe in the near future that would change. She didn't know for how long they stayed in one place before having to move and find another hideout. But she was hoping to know everything soon. She wanted to be a part of this more than _anything_. She had to come a long way to end up here, but she finally realized that this was right for her. So long as _he_ was there by her side, everything was like a dream.

Harley made the bed and picked up some dirty laundry scattered about the room and put everything in a pile on the bed. It would have to stay there until she had found a washing machine. At least she _hoped_ there was one. And if there _was_ , she doubted that it had ever been used since they all moved in. _They probably don't even know how to_ operate _it. And if they think I'm going to be their mother and do it_ for _them, they couldn't be more wrong._

When she headed back down, she was pleased to find that the guys had not returned to their slouching, but were still busy in the kitchen. She stood in the doorway and was amused at the sight. They were finishing up swabbing the floor and polishing the countertops. A couple of them had even taken the liberty to do the dishes and put everything back in the respective cabinets and drawers. Harley chuckled, but then stopped abruptly, feeling a body stepping up behind her. She turned around and looked up into the face of the Joker, who looked anything but amused. "What's going on here?" he asked, looking to Harley for an answer. His men stopped dead in their tracks, turning their full attention to their boss. Some of them, especially the one who Harley had drenched before, were sneering now, thinking that she was in big trouble for this. Harley's mouth opened and she could feel his intense gaze on her, expecting a quick answer. Of course, there was nothing else to say but the truth.

"I thought the place could use a proper cleaning," she explained with a simple shrug. "You can call me a neat-freak, but I refuse to live in all this filth." She looked into his eyes and he looked into hers. After a short pause, he eased the tension and disappointed those who had hoped to see Harley get scolded (or worse).

"Point taken," the Joker said and strode into the kitchen. His shoes left marks on the newly swabbed floor and if Harley wasn't mistaken, she could have sworn that the guy holding the mop (yet another one covered in tattoos, but bigger built and with a bald head) was giving the Joker a glare behind his back. _So you_ do _care after all._ The Joker stopped by the kitchen island and drew one finger with his gloved hand over the polished surface and looked at it.

"Not bad," he said, sounding surprisingly satisfied. Then his eyes fell on Harley's soaked victim. "Why are you wet?" he asked.

"Ask her." Harley received a nod in her direction and the Joker looked back to her, but didn't say anything, only gave her a look that said: _We'll talk about this later._

"Oh, believe me Jerry, I will." _Jerry. So that's his name._ "Keep up the work boys, you're doing a great job. Harley, you're coming with me." Harley supposed that the Joker's men weren't used to being praised, because they stood frozen in their spots for a moment before getting back to the task at hand. Harley followed the Joker.

He picked up a big moving box in his arms and carried it upstairs, Harley close behind. They were back in his room again and he plopped the box down on the bed, right over the pile of laundry she had taken good time to fold. She didn't bring it up, though, but only stood there waiting for him to say something. _He_ , however, was apparently expecting _her_ to do something. "Well, go on then," he said and gestured to the box. "Open it!" She hurried over to the box and did as told. Inside, she found a variety of clothing. All for her? She had to make sure.

"Is this all for me?" she asked him.

"Well, they're certainly not for me." She took out the garment that lay on top. It was a leather corset with a zipper in the front. The left half was black and the right half was red. She had never seen anything like it before, but she thought it looked very cool and sexy. She couldn't wait to try it on. She put it down on the bed next to the box and proceeded taking out the rest. There was a pair of matching pants to the corset, also in leather, but the colours were reversed: black on the _right_ side and red on the _left_. There was also a ruffled skirt which was all black and to go with it, she had a pair of leggings that were red and black, just like the pants. There were some ordinary clothes in there as well that she could use for days like this one. She figured that the rest was supposed to work like her uniform when they were out and about. The box also contained two pairs of shoes: a pair of black combat boots with rivets and another pair of red, taller boots with heels. She held the latter pair in her hands and looked down at them in awe. "Do you like it?" he asked, hoping that she would. "Red was your favourite colour, right?" he added, wanting to make sure. She dropped the boots and threw her arms around him lovingly.

"I _love_ it! Thank you!" At first, he was put off by her gesture, but instead of pushing her away, he eventually reciprocated it by putting his arms around her and patting her head. Harley was the first to pull away. "When will I get to wear it?" She was practically jumping up and down, eager for her big reveal. The Joker smiled down at her, pleased to see just how much she wanted this.

"Very soon," he assured. "I just spoke with my little _bird_ back at Arkham. Apparently, Dr. Arkham throws this party every year for the staff members and that so happens to be…" His eyes rolled into the back of his head and he dragged on that last word, trying to remember when exactly the party was. "…on _Friday._ Six o'clock. Dr. Arkham's place. I thought it would be the _perfect_ opportunity, considering you're practically still a member of the staff, so your invitation should be valid." Harley smirked.

"And you'll be my date?"

"I thought you'd never ask."

* * *

 **A/N: Alright folks, we are getting closer to the end of this story, but I am overwhelmed by the response this is getting! Thank you all so much for all of your support and your kind words, it means a lot! As someone who strives to one day become an author, it makes me believe more in my work and in what I do when I hear that people actually enjoy it! :)**


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

Harley really hated it how slowly the time passed when you had to wait for something. Especially since she couldn't recall ever having been this excited about anything before. All she wanted was to show the world her new self. Her _true_ self. And now she had to wait for almost an entire week to do just that! At least she got to spend time with the Joker and that kept her mind off of everything else. For a while. He taught her things, like how to fight using knives (she said she didn't want to hurt him, to which he had only laughed), or practice shooting. Harley even started bonding with a couple of the guys. They were starting to get used to the idea of having a woman in the house. _Starting_ to. Not everyone was adaptable. (Jerry being one of them.)

Friday arrived and it was obvious who was most looking forward to the party they were going to crash. Harley was getting ready for the night and she wondered what to wear. It was a hard pick between the leather pants and the skirt, but eventually, she decided against the skirt, thinking that the pants would look way cooler combined with the corset. She grabbed the red boots to go with the outfit. When she looked in the one single full length mirror in the bedroom, she had to admit that she looked… _badass_. That's the first word that came to her mind. Everything fit like a glove and accentuated her curves. She also felt more confident being slightly taller in the heels. But there was still something missing. _Makeup_. She wasn't going to be able to match him without it. She went into the bathroom and locked the door, just in case he'd come in. She wanted it to be a surprise. Searching through the cabinet, she managed to find what she was looking for. White, black and red. Suddenly, there was a banging on the door and she jumped a little. The Joker's voice came from the other side. _"Harley, doll, it's time to go."_

"I'm almost done!" she assured him. "I'll be right out!" Feeling a bit stressed, she roughly applied the white makeup across her face, but leaving her ears. Then she put some black around her eyes. Not as much as he would and a little bit neater too. She looked at the small box of red paint in her hand, but instead of using that, she grabbed some dark red lipstick and painted her lips with it. She looked in the mirror again. _Not too shabby._ It was after all her first time, so it would have to do. There would be plenty of time to create her own personal look later. But there was still one more thing she had to do. During the week, they had collected some more necessities for her, including scrunchies to put her hair up. She grabbed two black ones and then used them to put her hair up in messy pigtails. It was the best she could come up with, but when she looked in the mirror at the finished result, it actually looked fitting. Rather childlike. _Innocent. Good,_ she thought. _Then they'll be even more surprised when they find out I'm anything_ but _._

The Joker tapped his right foot against the floor, impatiently waiting for his partner in crime to come out of the bathroom. Just as he was about to bang on the door again, ready to break it down this time, she stepped out. Harley put her arms out and twirled for him. "Well, what do you think?" she asked, hoping for a compliment.

"What do I _think?_ " he repeated her question with raised eyebrows and moved in closer to her. Her heart beat faster with his every move. She didn't know what he was going to do or say. He always kept her on edge. He put one finger under her chin and brought her face up so he could have a proper look. "Hmm…"

"What?" she breathed. "Don't you like it?" she asked, afraid he'd disapprove of her look.

"No," he confessed and her heart sank. "I _love_ it." He brought his face down and kissed her on the lips. His hand remained under her chin and moved the other one to rest on the small of her back to pull her closer. Harley never wanted him to stop, but they had a job to do, so the moment was short-lived. "Let's go."

Three minutes later and they were off. Joker and Harley got into the back of a black SUV with tinted windows. Two of the guys were up front, already wearing their clown masks. Behind them followed a van of more clowns and they were heavily armed. When the thought hit her, Harley realized that she was _not_. What was she going to use? As always, she didn't have to worry. The Joker had it all thought through. "Here," he said and took out a .45 pistol from inside his purple great coat. "You might find it useful." He held it out for her to take and she did, without hesitation. Her fingers closed around it. In her hand, it felt heavier than it actually was. She was given a lot of responsibility and she felt the weight of that. He _trusted_ her. That was a thought just as reassuring as it was frightening. Failing was not an option. She would use it well and wisely.

"Thanks," she said quietly with a small smile. Not two seconds after, the car came to a stop.

"We're here boss."

The dining hall was filled with members of the Arkham staff; doctors, nurses and orderlies alike. Of course, not _every_ member of the staff was present. There was always someone who had other plans during Dr. Arkham's annual party. The host excused himself as he heard the doorbell and went to open for whoever the straggler was. Maybe Dr. Conner had changed his mind after all? Dr. Arkham dropped his glass of champagne to the floor when a vaguely familiar, yet horrifying face, looked up at him. Harley Quinn batted her eyes and smiled, baring her teeth. "Sorry I'm late," she said and Dr. Arkham now saw the company she was followed by. _Clowns._ And they had _guns_. "You have no idea how genuinely heartbroken I was when I didn't receive an invite," Harley continued and put on her best sad pout, but it was gone in a second and she was smiling again, her voice was filled with sheer glee. " _So_ … I decided to just invite myself!" She giggled. "Oh! And I brought a date." The Joker stepped up from behind the door and put one arm around Harley. "Hope you don't mind."

"Evening, doc," the Joker flashed a smile of his own. "Nice place ya got." Dr. Arkham's mouth was shaped like an oval. Was this really happening, or was it a dream? An illusion, perhaps? Had he had too much to drink already? His eyes fell on the woman before him once more and he was afraid that she would be just the person he thought she was.

" _Dr. Quinzel?_ " he asked and the shock was evident in his voice.

"Sorry, Dr. Quinzel isn't in now," Harley answered. "But I can make an appointment." She brought her gun up and pressed the barrel to his forehead. "Now will you let us in, or what?" Her gleefulness was gone, replaced by a hostility Dr. Arkham had never witnessed before. Not from _her_. What choice did he have? Without a word, he stepped aside and Harley kept the gun on him until the doorway was clear. She stepped over the threshold and there was a cracking noise when her left boot tramped on the broken champagne glass. "All right, move," she told him with a nod towards the dining hall and Dr. Arkham obeyed. It was hard to do otherwise when a gun was pressed against the back of your head.

The guests were happy to see their host return, but once a bunch of armed clowns came into the light, they froze on the spot, unable to move. _Afraid_ to move, lest they'd get a bullet through their brains. The clowns spread across the room and surrounded everyone. A couple of them went to search through the rest of the house to make sure there was no one left out who might try to escape or call the cops. No one was surprised when the Joker walked into the room. The clowns were an obvious hint as to who was coming. But who was the woman aiming a gun at Dr. Arkham? Several of the doctors exchanged looks and each look read the same: _It can't be her, can it?_ Oh, but it could. It _was_. "Well, well," Harley said. "You all seem to be enjoying yourselves. I've already expressed my deepest disappointment to Dr. Arkham here at finding out I wasn't invited. I didn't get a call, no e-mail, not as much as a _note!_ Not from any single one of you! Not even _you_ …" Harley's gaze shifted and landed on the one person she had called "friend" at Arkham. "Joan." Joan Leland looked _beyond_ confused. She was probably thinking the same as Dr. Arkham. Was this really happening?

"Harley," Joan said. "What has he done to you?" Harley could read the same question on every single face in the room.

"What has he _done_ to me?" Harley said, looking at Joan. "I think the better question would be: what have _you_ all done to me?" She finally brought the gun down and used it to gesture to all of her previous colleagues. Dr. Arkham knew better than to try to escape just because he wasn't being held at gunpoint for the moment. There were plenty others in the room who could take him down in the matter of a split second. Harley went on. "What have you _ever_ done _for_ me? Always taking me as nothing but a silly, _stupid little blonde!_ " Her eyes drifted to Dr. Hugo Strange, who looked dead serious and disgusted by her. "Well, then I guess the joke's on you, because guess what? I'm not even a real blonde." She brought her left hand up and flipped her pigtail. No one laughed. They were not amused in the slightest. "But I guess you were right. I didn't fit in at Arkham. I wasn't meant to be a doctor. I know that now." Harley looked over to the Joker, who had been watching her all this time. He remained silent and she took that as a good sign. It meant she was doing well on her own. Then she heard a voice. A voice that made her want to puke.

"Harley, whatever he's done to you, whatever he's forcing you to do… you don't have to do it." Oh yes. It was Patrick. He stood right beside the buffet table, stuffed with various kinds of treats.

" _Patrick!_ " Harley exclaimed with an exaggerated smile and moved over to him. "How've you been?" she asked and got dangerously close, using the gun to caress his cheek.

"Good," he answered, stammering slightly. He eyed the gun in her hand. "You?" he asked out of politeness and maybe also because he was trying to keep her distracted until someone came to the rescue. But nobody would be coming to save them. Not tonight.

"Never been better. Ya still think I'm pretty?" She showed off her outfit. He shook his head.

"No. Not like this." Harley frowned.

"And here I get all dressed up for nuthin'! You know just how to treat a girl, don't ya, Patrick?" She was being sarcastic. Anyone in that room could tell. "You brought me to a nice restaurant and you even ordered my food for me! I'm sure that cod was tasty for _you_ , but for _me_ …" Harley chuckled and shook her head. "Did you know I _hate_ fish?" Before he could answer, she did it for him. "No, of course you didn't, because you _never asked!_ " She raised her voice at the end, showing her anger. "You know," she began more calmly, "I only agreed to go out with you because I wanted to be nice. And how do you repay me?" One glance at the buffet table next to her and she grabbed a handful of various nuts she spotted in a bowl and then forced them into Patrick's mouth. "By forcing goddamn _fish down my throat!_ " she yelled as Patrick fell on his knees before her, spitting out the nuts and coughing. He looked up when he felt something cold to his head. Harley was aiming the gun again, ready to pull the trigger. Patrick's eyes found hers. He pleaded. _Begged._

"Harley, _please._ I'm sorry. You don't have to –" _BANG!_ Everyone jumped and screamed. Two of the clowns fired into the roof to shut them up. They did.

Blood was gathering into a pool by Harley's feet, getting bigger and bigger, soaking the carpet. Dr. Arkham stared in horror at the corpse on his floor. Harley turned back to him and grabbed one of the chairs by the dining table and put it down in front of him. "Have a seat, doc," she said and forced him to sit by pressing down his shoulder with her free hand. She wasn't finished with him.

"Harley," he began, but shut his mouth closed as Harley fired a bullet into the roof.

"That's Harley _Quinn_ for you," she said. "That's right, that's my name now," she added, seeing the puzzled look on his face.

"Whatever you're going to do to me, just get it over with," Dr. Arkham said. "Let the others go."

"Oh, but I'm not going to do _anything_ to you," Harley reassured him using her sweetest voice and had a seat on his lap. He was clearly appalled by this and leaned as far back as he could. "After all, if you hadn't hired me in the first place, I _never_ would have met my soulmate."

"Your…?" Dr. Arkham glanced over to the Joker and then back to Harley, even more disgusted than he ever was before. "Your _soulmate?_ "

"Believe me, doc," the Joker spoke for the first time in minutes. "I have a hard time believing it myself." Harley got up dusted herself off.

"Well, well, it's been a pleasure, but I think it's time for us to call it a night." Dr. Arkham remained in his seat. He was just as confused as everyone else. Was that it?

"You mean…" he hesitated. "You mean you're not going to kill us?" Harley rolled her eyes.

"No, silly! If I did, who's gonna tell the rest of the world that there's a new crook in town?" The Joker cleared his throat and Harley turned to him.

"Do you mind if I borrow that?" he asked and glanced down at the gun in her hand. She knew better than to assume it was a question. He wasn't asking. She gave it to him and he didn't even have to look to find his target. The bullet went straight through the orderly's chest and he fell to the floor. Harley thought she'd seen him before, but didn't know his name. While everyone else around the wounded orderly stepped away, Joan was the only one who got down on her knees and tried to stop the blood flow.

"Carter, hold on," Harley heard her say. _So_ that's _Carter._ She could tell by the uncertainty in Joan's voice that even _she_ knew there was no way to save him now. The Joker gave Harley her gun back.

"I always hated that guy," he said, the contempt evident in his voice and in his eyes. Harley laughed.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, the GCPD pulled up outside Dr. Arkham's house. The clowns were long gone. Commissioner Gordon entered the dining hall. Two dead bodies lay on the floor and there was blood all over. Over the phone, Dr. Arkham had already told him who had done it. Gordon had not believed him. It couldn't have been her. Harleen Quinzel wouldn't hurt a fly. And he was right. Turns out, it wasn't her. When Gordon turned around to look at the wall behind him, it was covered in letters drawn with blood. No. Harleen Quinzel was innocent, for she was never there. Gordon felt the blood drain from his face as he read the writing on the wall. _Harley Quinn was here._

* * *

 **A/N: Hey guys! I am so sorry for not updating in a while! I kind of lost inspiration, but last night when I sat down and forced myself to write, everything flowed smoothly! This chapter is also a little longer than most others, so hopefully that makes up for it! Finally, Harley got her big reveal! You might be unhappy to hear that this was actually the last chapter, but don't worry, there will be an epilogue! Yes, I've always planned to have an epilogue to this story to give you a sense of what Harley and the Joker's life together is like sometime after her creation. I can also tell you that Batman will make an appearance. ;) I think this is a good time for me to end this story, because next week I'm off to college which I'm sure will leave me much less time to write, but I will keep up with it as much as I can! If you like Joker/Harley stories, I do have other fics that are about the Suicide Squad versions of them and I'm more likely to write more stories with them than with these "Dark Knight" versions. Thank you all for reading! Stay tuned for the epilogue! :)**


	22. Chapter 22

**Epilogue**

" _Dr. Harleen Quinzel, former psychiatrist at Arkham Asylum has reportedly engaged in an act of homicide, working as the Joker's accomplice. The Joker was Dr. Quinzel's patient at Arkham during the course of roughly two weeks before she was put off the case. Sometime after his escape, the Joker kidnapped Dr. Quinzel and the GCPD were unsuccessful in their search for her, until it was revealed last night during a party at Dr. Jeremiah Arkham's residence, that Dr. Quinzel had become the Joker's accomplice. She now goes by the alias of Harley Quinn. We spoke with Dr. Arkham earlier this morning. Here's what he had to say…"_

" _The last thing we needed was another Dr. Crane. This isn't good for our reputation. I mean, we're supposed to treat mentally ill people and then, once diagnosed sane, send them back into society, not the other way around! And now it seems that Dr. Quin… Wait, scratch that, she's not a doctor anymore. Now it seems that Ms. Quinzel has developed a severe case of Stockholm syndrome."_

" _Are you suggesting that she's in love with the Joker?"_

" _Oh yeah, she told me so herself. She even called him her 'soulmate.'"_

" _And do you believe this to be true?"_

" _Yes. If there's one thing I've learned about Ms. Quinzel, it's that you should never, under_ any _circumstances, underestimate her."_

* * *

Bruce felt heavy and dizzy. It was hard to open his eyes, but it became easier with time and eventually, he was able to get a full and clear vision of his surroundings. It was all a bit confusing at first, until he realized he was upside down. His hands were tied together over his head and his legs seemed to be chained to the ceiling. Actually, there was a chain around his torso as well, minimizing his mobility. It was hard to think, but he could at least remember what had happened before he got into this position. As soon as she struck his mind, she entered the room.

 _Speak of the devil._

Harley Quinn skipped over to the caped crusader with a big, silly grin on her painted face. As always, she was sporting blonde pigtails and wearing her signature colours; black and red. "Aw, what's the matter?" she asked and frowned as she came to a halt in front of him. She put her hands on her hips and tilted her head to the side. "Aren't ya comfortable? I thought this was how bats slept?" she said and gestured to his up-side-down form. Bruce didn't say a word, but kept the grim look on his face. Harley sighed and shook her head. "Okay, then let's think of something to lighten you up!" She grabbed a chair nearby, flipped it around and had a seat, resting her arms on the back. "How about a joke?" she suggested. "I know a good one, it'll kill ya!" She laughed out loud. Bruce felt the blood running down his body and into his head and it wasn't exactly helping, but he had to stay focused.

"How about I tell you a story instead?" he asked her and the question caught her off guard. She hadn't expected him to say anything. Her smile faded and there was a pause between them. Finally, she shrugged and made it comfortable for herself on the chair.

"All right, go ahead. But it better be a good one," she warned him.

Bruce inhaled, bracing himself. "Once, there was this young woman who was bright and intelligent and she had every opportunity to become something great." He paused shortly. "But then… she met a man. He manipulated her and made her believe she was in love with him. He turned her into his own little machine." It was hard to tell from his angle, but her face looked expressionless. She did not attempt to interrupt and so he went on.

"But what he doesn't know is that there is still a part of who she once was inside her and if she wanted to, she could fight to become that person again. That bright, beautiful woman with her whole life and the whole world in front of her. I believe that she can. The question is if _she_ believes it."

Silence fell between them. Harley's expression remained the same. "That's a touching story," she finally said, breaking the silence. Then, her eyes darkened. "But I've heard it before." She got up from the chair and shoved it aside. "You can't decide who you fall in love with!" she yelled. "It just happens!"

"So you honestly believe he loves you back?" She fell silent once more and thought about her answer.

"Here's how I see it..." She regained control of her voice and she was no longer yelling at him. "He hasn't killed me. After all this time, he hasn't killed me and he hasn't killed _you_." That last word was filled with contempt and understandably so. Bruce knew perfectly well what she thought of him. "And there can only be one reason for that," she went on and she drew in a shaky breath, looking away from him. Her eyes were starting to water. "Even though I hate admitting it," she said and chuckled to herself, looking down at the floor. She was looking anywhere but at him. "And I hate the very thought of it, but…" Slowly she lifted her gaze and she looked straight into his eyes. "If being loved by him means that I have to share him with _you_ …" She paused, but her gaze did not waver. "It's worth it." Her voice was small, nothing but a whisper.

It was worse than he thought. It seemed she truly _was_ madly in love. And Bruce pitied her for it. But right now, he didn't have time for pity. "Is it _really_ worth it, though?" he asked. "You're fighting for a lost cause, Harley. You can't win. Out of the two of us, who do you think wins his affection in the end? _Me?_ Or _you?_ " Her eyes began to water once more and she gritted her teeth, breathing heavily through them. He was getting through to her. _Good_.

"Why, I oughta –"

"What? _Kill me?_ " Bruce finished for her. "You know he wouldn't like that. He thinks I'm too much fun. Admit it Harley… you're only ever gonna be second best."

 _That does it._

She let out a shriek that could deafen you and the tears finally broke through, streaming down her face along with the black makeup around her eyes. She launched herself at him to wrap her hands around his throat, but before she could do him any harm, a couple of the Joker's men busted through the door and hurried over to stop her. They grabbed her arms and pulled her away, although it was no easy task as she wouldn't stop struggling. " _Let me at him!_ " she snapped at them. " _Let go of me! I said_ _let me go!_ " They didn't. They dragged her out of the room. " _I hope he kills you!_ " she yelled after the Bat. " _Ya hear?! I hope I see you in hell!_ " The door slammed shut after them and Bruce was alone again. _Time to get to work._

Harley wriggled herself free with a frustrated groan. Another door opened and _he_ walked in. He was finally here. Harley's expression softened at the sight of him and she regained her composure, but not before the Joker noticed that something was off. "What's wrong, kiddo?" he asked and stopped right in front of her. Harley glanced over to the room where the Batman was being kept.

"It was going to be a surprise," she said. "I caught the Bat." She nodded her head to the door. Joker's eyebrows shot up. _Really?_ "But he always spoils the fun. He was so mean to me." She was acting like a petulant child. Joker tutted at her and wrapped his arms around her for comfort.

"Poor Harley. Was the big ol' Bat mean to you?" Harley nodded.

"Uh-huh."

"Sounds like he needs to be taught a lesson." Harley looked up into his face and found the thirst for blood in his eyes. That made her light up again.

The Joker opened the door and Harley followed close behind. When he looked around, the room was… _empty_. There was a heap of chains lying on the floor in front of him. When Harley saw what he saw, she froze on the spot and her gleeful aura vanished. Her eyes went over every inch of the room. _No Batman_. "Harley…" Joker said and slowly turned around to face her. He did not look happy. "Where is he?"

"I-I don't understand," she said. "He was just here. He was all chained up, there was no way he could've –" She felt the blow across her cheek and fell to the floor. Her hand found its way to where he had slapped her. It stung. His figure leaned over her and he reached down to pull her up again. He grabbed her by the arms and rattled her violently with every word.

"Don't. _Ever._ Leave. Him. _Alone_." When he stopped, she was sobbing quietly. His grip remained firm, but then all of a sudden she felt it soften and he brought her in close, enveloping her in a tight embrace. "Shh," he hushed and rocked her back and forth. "It's all good now. We'll catch the Bat another day."

Harley let her arms wrap around his torso and she closed her eyes, smiling to herself. This was how the cycle went. There were ups and there were downs. Nothing wrong with that. Sure, he wasn't the definition of a Prince Charming, but then again, Harley had never wanted that. She wanted _him_. Just the way he was. That meant putting up with his tantrums and it meant having to go through a little bit of heartache at times.

It wasn't perfect.

But she was okay with that.

* * *

 **A/N: That's it guys! It's the end of the story! I can hardly believe it myself. I've had so much fun writing this fic and I know that without all of you lovely and loyal readers, I probably never would have finished it. I am overwhelmed by the response to this story and I cannot thank you enough! Thank you for all your lovely reviews, they always put a smile on my face! It means so much to me when I hear people say that they actually enjoy my work! You guys are the best! I really hope you enjoyed this fic from the beginning to the end, THANK YOU!**


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